State tells power plants to prepare for closure
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) – The New York Independent Systems Operator (NYISO) released a memo saying that two local NRG Energy Inc. are unnecessary and should prepare for closure.
NRG announced plans in August to retire the Huntley Coal Plant in Tonawanda and the Dunkirk Energy Plant in Dunkirk, saying the plants are not economically viable.
The New York Department of Public Service requested that NYISO determine whether closing the plants would have an adverse affect on the local power grid. NYISO determined that closing the plants would not adversely affect the power grid as long as other National Grid upgrades are completed in a timely fashion.
As a result, the Tonawanda plant will be retired on March 1, 2016, and the Dunkirk plant will be “mothballed,” or preserved for potential reactivation in the future.
