Members of the public weighed in on the fate of the Pleasants Power Station near Belmont, which is set to be closed June 1 unless an alternative comes through.
“I think West Virginia is at the forefront,” said Jay Powell, Pleasants County Commissioner. “They recognize that the necessity of that coal-fired power plant on a safety and security level.”
A public hearing was Thursday afternoon, and an evidentiary hearing will start Friday morning at the West Virginia Public Service Commission. Some of the organizations with stakes in the decision will speak through their lawyers during the evidentiary hearing.
Hundreds of people already submitted written comments to the PSC.
COMMENTARY BY HOPPY KERCHEVAL: Fate of Pleasants Power is a Harbinger of Future Electricity Generation
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.
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, the Pleasants property is being shifted to Energy Transition and Environmental Management for possible shutdown and demolition.
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 makes sense economically.
The proposal is for at least 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.
After the companies made their initial proposal, they submitted an updated filing that indicated they had identified additional expenses and details to negotiate.
So the question is not just whether to save the coal-fired power plant but whether ratepayers should be billed even more while the issue plays out.
Sally Roberts Wilson, a Morgantown resident, said she appeared at the public hearing as a Monongahela Power customer. She said the effect on rates would not be fair.
“I’m concerned that we will be saddled with the financial liabilities of this aged facility and its coal ash pond,” she said. “If this were a sound investment, private industry would not have rejected it.”
Delegate Trenton Barnhart, R-Pleasants, spoke in support of the 12-month extension saying the community and the power plant’s workers would benefit. He also described the power plant’s importance to the local tax base.
“Jobs and opportunities in West Virginia matter,” Barnhart said. “And today we have jobs on the table.”