Dive Brief:

• Kansas City Power & Light Co. (KCP&L) will stop burning coal at three of its coal-fired plants, possibly converting two into alternative-fueled generators, by the end of 2021.
• SNL reports the decision comes less than two years after the Sierra Club sent a notice of intent to sue the utility for Clean Air Act violations.
• According to the utility, the decision was the most cost effective and cleanest option for customers.

Dive Insight:

KCP&L has announced plans to stop burning coal "in the coming years" at three of its coal-fired power plants: Montrose Station, one of its units at Lake Road Station and two of its units at Sibley Station.

Lake Road’s boiler already has the ability to burn natural gas and the company said it will switch fuels once it ceases coal combustion. In the coming years, KCP&L said it will consider whether to retire the units at Montrose and Sibley, or convert them to an alternative fuel source. 

Two units will be retired at the end of 2016, 2019 and 2021, including the 176-MW Montrose 3.

"After evaluating options for future environmental regulation compliance, ending coal use at these plants is the most cost effective and cleanest option for our customers," said Terry Bassham, president and CEO of Great Plains Energy and KCP&L. "By retiring or converting more than 700 MW of coal-fired generation, we’ll take an even bigger step toward reducing emissions and improving the air quality in our region." 

The decision stems in part from recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations, which KCP&L said would require it to make significant environmental upgrades in the coming years in order to continue burning coal at these power plants.

"While retrofitting our largest, newer coal-fired power plants was the most cost-effective way to comply with environmental regulations, the same cannot be said for the older, smaller units at Montrose, Lake Road and Sibley," the company said in its statement. "Retiring or converting the units at Montrose, Lake Road and Sibley will be a more cost-effective way to meet environmental regulations."

In 2013 the Sierra Club had threatened legal action over KCP&L's coal plants. The environmental group applauded the utility's decision.

“KCP&L's transition away from coal and embrace of clean energy is the absolute best path forward for its customers and for clean air,” said Holly Bender, deputy director of the Sierra Club Beyond Coal campaign. “KCP&L is leading Missouri’s utility sector in its commitment to innovation and steady progress on clean energy. In the process, it is helping to turn Kansas City into a hub of job-creating, clean-tech business development.”