Vistra Corp. Speeds Move From Coal With Faster Plant Closure (1)

摘要

Vistra Corp. is speeding its effort to shut coal-fired plants while seeking Illinois aid to help replace the energy-all part of its effort to change how it powers businesses and households in the state. The company said Tuesday that its Joppa, Ill.-based plant will shut down no later than Sept. 1, 2022, three years earlier than previously announced. It's the sixth coal-fired facility Vistra has said since 2018 it will close. The company plans to shutter all coal-fired plants by 2027. The company plans to spend $550 million refurbishing nine coal-fired plants in central and southern Illinois to utility-scale solar and battery installations. It wants Illinois lawmakers to enact legislation to increase ratepayer prices to help pay for it. As part of the shutdown, Vistra will pay $1.1 million in incremental property taxes through 2024 and honor workers' union-negotiated severance agreements and health insurance plan payments, the company said. The Joppa plant opened in 1953 and includes six coal units with a combined capacity of 1,002 megawatts. It also has five natural gas units with a combined capacity of 239 MW. The site under the refurbishing plan will be repurposed as a 45 MW battery energy storage facility able to store enough electricity to power about 22,500 area homes.