The fate of a 150-employee West Virginia power plant is drawing a vigorous public reaction.
Comments have poured in over whether it’s worth it for ratepayers to kick in more to, at least temporarily, halt demolition of the Pleasants Power Station near Belmont, which is set to be closed June 1 unless an alternative comes through.
The plant could be taken over by Monongahela Power and Potomac Edison, which asked for a surcharge on ratepayers to keep it operational until they fully assess whether the deal would benefit them.
But late Friday, the companies called the deal into question by saying they had identified additional expenses and details to negotiate.
“If the Companies determine that a reasonable agreement can’t be reached,” representatives said in an updated filing, “a surcharge to customers will not be needed.”
Meanwhile, the issue has split people who want to make an extra effort to save the power plant and its jobs and those who believe ratepayers shouldn’t be on the hook.
The Consumer Advocate Division of the Public Service Commission on Friday came out against the surcharge.
“Since the companies’ interim proposal provides little if any tangible benefit to West Virginia residential ratepayers, the Consumer Advocate Division cannot support the company’s ‘interim solution’ offered by the companies, and we would oppose the requested surcharge,” wrote Robert Williams, director of the consumer advocate division.
PIeasants is a 1300 megawatt two-unit coal power plant located on the Ohio River near Belmont, Pleasants County. About 150 people work at the plant, which began operations in 1979.
Pleasants County Commissioner Jay Powell said on MetroNews “Talkline” that he’s not only fighting for the jobs, but also for the power capacity at the plant.
“We’ll be in a situation where we’ll be very vulnerable with harsh weather conditions if we don’t have Pleasants Power Station and others like it,” said Powell, who intends to testify at a public hearing this week in Charleston.
Its corporate owner, Energy Harbor, has been bought by another company, Vistra Vision, which wants its nuclear plants but not its coal plants like Pleasants. Right now, Pleasants is being shifted to Energy Transition and Environmental Management for possible shutdown and demolition.
Monongahela Power and the Potomac Edison Company have been asked to explore whether they could take over the power plant, but they want more time to assess whether that makes sense from their financial perspective.
So on March 31, the companies submitted written analysis that proposed an interim possibility: While the companies complete their analysis of whether taking on Pleasants Power Station is a good idea, they are suggesting a temporary surcharge.
The proposal is for a $3 million monthly surcharge over 12 months, a total of $36 million, to assure the plant remains operational. That amount could be more if there are additional costs identified. It could be less if the plant is sold before the 12 months is up.
Ratepayers shouldn’t be expected to provide the financial cushion, said Karan May, Sierra Club senior campaign representative in West Virginia.
“It seems unfair to me that ratepayers are being asked to pay for something that, on its surface at least, makes very little sense,” May said in a telephone interview.
“The various entities that owned this plant have had the opportunity to make plans to transition their employees, to make a plan for the communities, our leaders have had an opportunity to plan for other kinds of economic development — and it shouldn’t be up to customers in Martinsburg or Morgantown or Parkersburg to try to hang onto a plant that really has outlived its useful life.”
The PSC announced a hearing for public comments at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. An evidentiary hearing is planned for Friday before the state Public Service Commission.
So far, dozens of comments have flowed to the Public Service Commission.
Some of the comments protest already-high power bills, with residents saying they can’t take much more.
“The Pleasants plant can already sell power into a regional power market, where it has to compete with other power plants. It is not the role of electric customers to pay higher bills to keep this privately-owned plant in business and it is not the role of government to pick winners and losers in private businesses,” wrote David Bott, a resident of Westover, Monongalia County.
J.C. Powell, a Parkersburg resident, wrote that finances should go toward retraining displaced employees. “Please prevent the corporation bailout and help society in encouraging an environmental change and help those displaced with job training,” he wrote.
Supporters have written to say the region needs the jobs at the plant along with the power that the plant generates.
Jeffery Allen White of Lower Salem, Ohio, described himself as a union construction worker who has benefited from the local work. “Work for the construction trades in our area is scarce enough at this point, and the loss of Pleasants will only compound that problem,” he wrote.
The community would suffer without the power plant, wrote Samantha Schultz, a St. Marys resident. “I feel the power plant is vital to our community as it provides jobs as well as supports our school systems tremendously. It would be a devastating loss if the power plant closes.”