PSC Issues Order in APCo Coal Plants Case

The Public Service Commission of West Virginia today issued an Order requesting Appalachian Power Company (APCo) maintain, for at least four years or until further order of the Commission, any infrastructure installed at the company’s Kanawha River Plant that would be used if the plant was to be converted to burn natural gas. The Commission also stated it expects APCo to continue to examine the status of the Kanawha River, Glen Lyn and Sporn Plants in light of current developments to determine if additional consideration of the future of those plants is appropriate. APCo is required to file an integrated resource plan with the Commission by January 1, 2016. In today’s order, the Commission stated that it expects APCo to consider the future availability and possible use of some of the plant sites and some of the existing infrastructure for alternative generation projects.
In light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling, the Commission also suggests in its order that the future of APCo’s generation needs, and future plans, may be more uncertain today than in the past. The order goes on to say, “It does not appear to the Commission at the moment to be reasonable and prudent to demolish entirely the facilities that might be available in the future for conversion to natural gas before further consideration is given to the future of APCo’s coal-fired generation … We expect APCo to consider the uncertainty of its generation capacity as it makes plans with regard to future use of existing facilities that may be capable of being converted to alternative fuels.”
More information may be obtained from the Commission’s website: www.psc.state.wv.us by referencing Case No. 15-0722-E-P.