FirstEnergy Solutions (FES), the power-generating subsidiary of Ohio, U.S.-based FirstEnergy Corp., announced Wednesday its plan to close three of its nuclear power plants with a total capacity of 4,048 MW, citing "severe economic challenges".
FES has filed a certification letter with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) formally notifying it of its decision to permanently deactivate two plants in Ohio, and another in Pennsylvania over the next three years, a press release said.
The letter affirms the company's March 28 notification to PJM Interconnection (PJM), the regional transmission organization, as well as its initial, informal notification to the NRC, according to the statement.
FES, its subsidiaries and FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company, filed for bankruptcy on March 31 "in order to facilitate an orderly financial restructuring".
The plant closures are subject to review by PJM for reliability impacts, if any, and in the interim, the plants will continue normal operations, it added.
"We are actively seeking policy solutions at the state and federal level as an alternative to retiring these plants, which we believe still have a crucial role to play in the reliability and resilience of our regional grid," said Don Moul, president of FES Generation Companies and chief nuclear officer.
"What also is at stake for the region is 4,048 megawatts of zero-emission baseload generating capacity, an all but irreplaceable resource," he added.
According to Moul, "as early as mid-2019, we will begin facing decisions on each of these plants as to whether to refuel them or shut them down. Absent legislative or regulatory relief, we cannot continue to operate the plants on their current uneconomic basis".
In accordance with the retirement schedule of the nuclear plants, which will affect about 2,300 employees, Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, plans to close by May 31, 2020, while Beaver Valley Power Station Unit 1 in Shippingport, Pa., and the Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Perry, Ohio are set for closure by May 31, 2021.
The second unit of Beaver Valley will be closed five months later, by Oct. 31, 2021.
In 2017, the nuclear units contributed approximately 65 percent of the electricity produced by the FES generating fleet, according to the statement.
The two nuclear plants in Ohio represent 14 percent of the state's overall generation capacity, while the Beaver Valley units represent 7 percent of Pennsylvania's overall generation capacity, it added.
By Hale Turkes
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr