DP&L to retire 3,000 MW of coal generation in Ohio
Reuters has the details on DP&L’s plant closures, and the central debate: whether to upgrade the older facilities, or shut them down and look to create clean energy jobs in their place.
The president of First State Bank in Winchester, Michael Pell, told Reuters the plants are the largest local employers and their closures “will absolutely be devastating to our community.” On the flip side, the Sierra Club argued the upgrades would be a bad investment, telling Reuters about 250 plants are now slated for closure.
In its statement, DP&L said that along with plant co-owners, the utility “completed a thorough review of our options and it has become clear that, without significant changes in market conditions, the plants will not be economically viable beyond mid-2018.”
Coal woes in Ohio are not new: Last year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission blocked power purchase agreements approved by state regulators that aimed to support aging coal and nuclear plants owned by FirstEnergy and AEP Ohio. A settlement was reached last year on plant retirements for American Electric Power that included job revitalization efforts.
