Dive Summary:
- PPL Montana spokesman David Hoffman says the company will shut down its 44-year-old, 154-megawatt J.E. Corette coal power plant in Billings in April 2015, right before new federal pollution rules take effect that would have cost the company $38 million worth of upgrades.
- Competition from cheap natural gas and subsidies to wind power projects have put coal at a disadvantage nationwide, with the Energy Information Administration reporting that 57 plants generating a combined 8,990 megawatts will retire this year.
- PPL Montana plans to maintain its operating permits for the 35-employee plant in the event that energy prices rebound or the looming Environmental Protection Agency rules are reversed.
From the article:
Billings, Mont., September 20, 2012 — PPL Montana will place the coal-fired J.E. Corette power plant in Billings into long-term reserve status beginning in April 2015. The utility said the decision was based on economic factors and pending Environmental Protection Agency regulations. ...
