Georgia Power announced plans Wednesday to shutter two coal-fired power plant units in Middle Georgia, saying the cost of equipping them to meet current and pending environmental regulations is too high to justify their continued use.
The two units at Plant Branch in Putnam County have a capacity of 569 megawatts.
The company said it will ask state utility regulators to OK the move in a filing this summer, and that it hopes to close the plants when new multi-pollutant rules take effect in 2013. It hasn't decided yet whether to close two other coal units at Branch.
“After an extensive analysis of the cost to comply with environmental regulations, we have determined the continued operation of these units would be uneconomical for our customers,” Georgia Power CEO Paul Bowers said Wednesday in a statement. “This decision is in keeping with our focus to provide affordable and reliable electricity for our customers.”
The announcement comes as renewed attention is focusing on Georgia Power's nuclear plants because of the continuing crisis in Japan. Georgia Power has four nuclear reactors and is one of two U.S. utilities building new ones. The company has advocated for nuclear power as regulations tighten on coal.
The company had hinted last year that it might close coal plants because of regulations on air emissions, water treatment and the disposal of the ash coal combustion leaves behind.
Georgia Power currently operates 9,686 megawatts of coal-fueled generation at 10 plants.
Environmental groups applauded the announcement.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Colleen Kiernan, Sierra Club Georgia Chapter director. “The Sierra Club has been actively pressuring Georgia Power to ‘clean ‘em up or shut ‘em down’ for over 10 years, and we applaud every step taken to make way for a clean energy future.”
