COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- American
Electric Power's (Nasdaq: AEP) compliance plans for two recently
revised environmental regulations will remove 1,633 megawatts (MW)
of coal-fueled generation from its fleet by the end of 2028.
AEP will file compliance plans this month for the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Coal Combustion Residuals
(CCR) rule. Those plans will indicate that the company will retire
the Pirkey Plant (580 MW) in Hallsville,
Texas, in 2023 and cease using coal at the Welsh Plant
(1,053 MW), in Pittsburg, Texas,
in 2028.
Dry bottom ash handling systems or new lined ash ponds that meet
the requirements of the EPA's CCR and Effluent Limitation
Guidelines (ELG) rules will be built and operational in 2023 at
four other power plant sites. Existing ash ponds at these sites
will be closed, and the ash will be moved to regulated
landfills.
Plants that AEP plans to continue operating with CCR and ELG
investments are:
Amos Plant (2,930 MW), Winfield, West Virginia
Mountaineer Plant (1,330 MW), New
Haven, West Virginia
Mitchell Plant (1,560 MW),
Moundsville, West Virginia
Flint Creek (258 MW), Gentry,
Arkansas
AEP plans to make upgrades to the ash pond system and continue
operating Rockport Plant Unit 1 (1,310 MW) in Rockport, Indiana, until its previously
announced retirement date of 2028. Additionally, AEP will not renew
the lease for its 1,310-MW Rockport Plant Unit 2 when it expires in
2022.
AEP's Turk Plant (477 MW) in Fulton,
Arkansas, and Northeastern Plant (469 MW) in Oologah, Oklahoma, currently meet CCR and ELG
standards.
"As we look at the future of our power plant fleet, we've
balanced the remaining life and economic viability of each of our
coal-fueled generating units with other options for delivering
power to our customers. We continue to add lower cost, cleaner
resources, like renewables and natural gas, as we diversify our
generating fleet to benefit our customers and the environment. We
have retired or sold nearly 13,500 MW of coal-fueled generation in
the last decade," said Nicholas K.
Akins, AEP chairman, president and chief executive
officer.
"The Pirkey and Welsh plants and their employees have a long
history of safely providing reliable, affordable power for our
customers and supporting local communities. As with previous
retirements, we are committed to working with our employees and
these communities to help them manage the transition. We also will
ensure the safe and reliable operation of these plants until their
ultimate closure," Akins said.
American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a
smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and
custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP's approximately
17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation's largest
electricity transmission system and more than 221,000 miles of
distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to
nearly 5.5 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is
one of the nation's largest electricity producers with
approximately 30,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity,
including more than 5,300 megawatts of renewable generation. AEP's
family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas,
Appalachian Power (in Virginia and
West Virginia), AEP Appalachian
Power (in Tennessee), Indiana
Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of
Oklahoma, and Southwestern
Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy
Partners, AEP OnSite Partners, and AEP Renewables, which provide
innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide.
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SOURCE American Electric Power