Pleasants Power Station
Pleasants Power Station | |
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Pleasants Power Station is a 1.3-gigawatt (1,300
History
In what is considered to be the deadliest construction accident in
Pleasants was completed in 1980 at a cost of $677 million.[1] There are two cooling towers, each 428 feet (130 m) high, and two 1,000-foot (305 m)-high chimneys.[2] In 2008, Allegheny Energy completed a $105 million project which saw the installation of flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) technology which reduced sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions at Pleasants.[3] FirstEnergy would assume ownership of Pleasants following its merger with Allegheny Energy in 2011.[4]
In December 2016, FirstEnergy announced they were putting Pleasants up for sale. FirstEnergy had plans to sell Pleasants to its subsidiaries, Potomac Edison and Monongahela Power for $195 million. The sale would help meet its subsidiaries projected shortfalls of electricity demand.[5] Although the West Virginia Public Service Commission gave a conditional approval of the sale in January 2018, it was rejected by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as the sale did not meet public interest.[6][7] The sale of Pleasants was cancelled the following month.[8] This decision forced FirstEnergy to consider either selling or closing Pleasants by the end of 2018.[9] Ownership was then transferred to FirstEnergy Solutions in September 2018 with closure delayed to June 1, 2022.[10] To stave off a potential closure, a bill passed by the West Virginia Legislature and signed into law by Governor Jim Justice would give FirstEnergy Solutions $12.5 million in annual tax breaks.[11]
FirstEnergy's generating division Energy Harbor (previously called FirstEnergy Solutions) announced in March 2022 that it would close both units by June 2023.
References
- ^ Charleston Gazette. Archived from the originalon February 5, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- Allegheny Energy Supply. 2003. Retrieved February 7, 2010. [dead link]
- ^ "Allegheny Energy Completes Pleasants Power Station Environmental Project". BusinessWire. March 20, 2008. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
- ^ "Allegheny Energy, Form 8-K, Current Report, Filing Date Feb 11, 2010" (PDF). secdatabase.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
- ^ McVey, John (September 6, 2017). "PSC sets public hearing on power plant sale". Martinsburg Journal. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
- ^ Garland, Max (January 30, 2018). "PSC gives conditional approval for Pleasants plant deal after FERC rejection". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
- ^ Dunlap, Brett (January 16, 2018). "Pleasants Power plant sale rejected by FERC". The Marietta Times. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
- ^ Mancini, Jess (February 7, 2018). "Company: Pleasants Power Station deal off". The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
- ^ Mancini, Jess (February 17, 2018). "Pleasants Power Station to be sold or deactivated". The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
- ^ Zuckerman, Jake (October 18, 2018). "FirstEnergy spokeswoman: Pleasants Power Station to remain open until June 2022". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
- ^ Adams, Steven Allen (July 31, 2019). "Governor Justice Signs Tax Break for Pleasants Power Station". The Intelligencer. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ "Energy Harbor Transitions to 100% Carbon Free Energy Infrastructure Company in 2023". energyharbor.com. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
- ^ Tate, Curtis (2023-04-25). "PSC Approves Proposal To Keep Pleasants Power Station From Closing". West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ Tate, Curtis (3 August 2023). "Pleasants Power Station, Once Facing Closure, Now Has A New Owner". West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ Adams, Steven Allan. "Pleasants Power transfer to Omnis finalized". theintelligencer.net. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "New owner restarts West Virginia coal-fired power plant and intends to convert it to hydrogen use". Waco Tribune-Herald. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.