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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--This week has brought new announcements regarding utilities' plans to take aging coal-fired power plants offline, as low natural gas prices and increased legislation regarding emissions continue forcing generators to make decisions about the futures of the their coal-fired fleets. This week's announcements regarding closures came from GenOn Energy Incorporated (NYSE:GEN) (Houston, Texas) and Midwest Generation LLC (Chicago, Illinois), which is a subsidiary of Edison International (NYSE:EIX) (Rosemead, California).
Early yesterday morning, the Chicago Tribune reported that Midwest Generation would be closing two coal-fired plants in Chicago earlier than planned. Previously, Midwest Generation had agreed to either install emissions-control technology or close the 326-megawatt (MW) Fisk coal-fired power plant by 2015 and the 542-MW Crawford generating plant by 2018. It is being reported that the Fisk plant will now close by December of this year, while the Crawford plant will cease operations by the end of 2014.
The Fisk plant was originally constructed in 1903. The currently active coal-fired unit, Unit 19, began operating in 1959. The Crawford station officially launched operations in 1925. The currently operational units 7 and 8 began operating in 1958 and 1961, respectively.
GenOn yesterday announced the closure of 3,140 MW of power facilities by 2015, including 2,980 MW of coal-fired plants and a 160-MW natural gas-fired plant in New Jersey. The closures are planned to occur between June of this year and May 2015. In yesterday's earnings press release, GenOn stated that the reason for the closure was that "forecasted returns on investments necessary to comply with environmental regulations are insufficient."
The plants listed for closure include the following, with their expected deactivation dates:
GenOn stated that it had invested approximately $2.4 billion in environmental controls since 2000, and that compared to 1990 levels, NOx emissions were down 78% and SO2 emissions had been reduced 90% at these facilities. The company said that it planned to invest $586 million to $726 million in further environmental controls over the next 10 years.
View Plant Profile - 1013866 1009539 1016841 1505144 1013139 1014633 1015581 1013698 1506317 1032584
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
Early yesterday morning, the Chicago Tribune reported that Midwest Generation would be closing two coal-fired plants in Chicago earlier than planned. Previously, Midwest Generation had agreed to either install emissions-control technology or close the 326-megawatt (MW) Fisk coal-fired power plant by 2015 and the 542-MW Crawford generating plant by 2018. It is being reported that the Fisk plant will now close by December of this year, while the Crawford plant will cease operations by the end of 2014.
The Fisk plant was originally constructed in 1903. The currently active coal-fired unit, Unit 19, began operating in 1959. The Crawford station officially launched operations in 1925. The currently operational units 7 and 8 began operating in 1958 and 1961, respectively.
GenOn yesterday announced the closure of 3,140 MW of power facilities by 2015, including 2,980 MW of coal-fired plants and a 160-MW natural gas-fired plant in New Jersey. The closures are planned to occur between June of this year and May 2015. In yesterday's earnings press release, GenOn stated that the reason for the closure was that "forecasted returns on investments necessary to comply with environmental regulations are insufficient."
The plants listed for closure include the following, with their expected deactivation dates:
- Elrama, Pennsylvania (460 MW) - June 2012
- Niles, Ohio (217 MW) - June 2012
- Portland, Pennsylvania (401 MW) - January 2015
- Avon Lake, Ohio (732 MW) - April 2015
- New Castle - West Pittsburg, Pennsylvania (330 MW) - April 2015
- Shawville, Pennsylvania (597 MW) - April 2015
- Titus - Birdsboro, Pennsylvania (243 MW) - April 2015
- Glen Gardner (gas-fired) - Lebanon, New Jersey (160-MW) - May 2015
GenOn stated that it had invested approximately $2.4 billion in environmental controls since 2000, and that compared to 1990 levels, NOx emissions were down 78% and SO2 emissions had been reduced 90% at these facilities. The company said that it planned to invest $586 million to $726 million in further environmental controls over the next 10 years.
View Plant Profile - 1013866 1009539 1016841 1505144 1013139 1014633 1015581 1013698 1506317 1032584
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
