Dive Brief:
- American Electric Power employees at three West Virginia power plants received notices that the facilities are preparing to close within the next two months, according to the Charleston Daily Mail.
- The closures, related to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations on mercury, dioxins and other contaminants, target some of the oldest plants in AEP's generation fleet.
- Employees at other facilities have been warned as well, though the company said it is attempting to find positions for them or will provide severance packages.
Dive Insight:
The impacts of the EPA MATS regulations are beginning to filter down to the individual level: AEP told employees this week that three facilities in West Virginia would shutter within two months, the Daily Mail reported.
The news outlet reported a company spokesperson said many AEP employees "have other jobs within the company that we're holding for them until the plant closes ...The rest will be offered a severance package."
Among the plants slated for closure as part of the company’s efforts to comply with the EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards are the Kanawha River Units 1 and 2 . Both units are scheduled to end their service around the middle of this year.
Placed in operation in 1953, the two-unit plant consistently ranked among the world leaders in steam-electric generating efficiency. In 1953, 1954 and 1957, Kanawha River was the worlds’ best coal-fired plant in terms of heat rate performance.
The plant burns about a million tons of coal each year and pays about $3.66 million in annual taxes.
