Ohio nuclear generators to face more competition with new 955-MW gas plant
Nuclear generators already struggling in Ohio will face even more competition from almost 900 MW of gas-fired generation that came online this summer, and another 950 MW plant now in the works.
Both plants will connect to the PJM Integration market, according to the Toledo Blade, and will generate more power than FirstEnergy’s nearby Davis-Besse nuclear plant.
The Clean Energy Future–Oregon project will cost an estimated $900 million to construct, and is expected to begin operation in 2020. The project was initially approved more than four years ago.
Nuclear plants in Ohio have pressed for subsidies to remain in operation, as their emissions-free power is being pushed off the grid by cheaper natural gas. In May, FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones told the Ohio Senate Public Utilities Committee that its Davis-Besse and Perry nuclear plants are unlikely to successfully compete with low cost gas-fired generation in the wholesale power market.
