Louisville, Kentucky (Platts)--2May2012/402 pm EDT/2002 GMT
FirstEnergy will delay the planned retirement of five older coal-fired power plants in northeast Ohio and convert two others to synchronous condensers at the request of the PJM Interconnection, which said the units are necessary to provide voltage support for the grid, the company said Wednesday. The five plants have a combined capacity of 885 MW and the other two have a total capacity of 837 MW, Durbin said. FirstEnergy spokesman Mark Durbin said the company had planned to retire five units -- Ashtabula 5, Lake Shore 18 and Eastlake 1-3 -- by September 1, but will now operate them "reliability must-run" arrangements until the company can complete a series of transmission system upgrades in the region to ensure system reliability. br/> Article continues below... Request a free trial of: Coal Outlook Coal Outlook is delivered daily and focuses on marine fuel prices and supply in major ports worldwide. It is essential reading for those who require accurate and timely data on this market sector.
FirstEnergy will delay the planned retirement of five older coal-fired power plants in northeast Ohio and convert two others to synchronous condensers at the request of the PJM Interconnection, which said the units are necessary to provide voltage support for the grid, the company said Wednesday. The five plants have a combined capacity of 885 MW and the other two have a total capacity of 837 MW, Durbin said. FirstEnergy spokesman Mark Durbin said the company had planned to retire five units -- Ashtabula 5, Lake Shore 18 and Eastlake 1-3 -- by September 1, but will now operate them "reliability must-run" arrangements until the company can complete a series of transmission system upgrades in the region to ensure system reliability. br/>
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Coal Outlook is delivered daily and focuses on marine fuel prices and supply in major ports worldwide. It is essential reading for those who require accurate and timely data on this market sector.
The five units have not operated much in the past several years, Durbin said, and are expected to function mainly as peaking units until they are finally retired by the the first quarter of 2015, when the Environmental Protection Agency's new Mercury and Air Toxics Standard is scheduled to take effect. Durbin said the company's 597-MW Eastlake Unit 5 and 240-MW Eastlake Unit 4 no longer will generate electricity but will be converted to synchronous condensers to help "ensure system reliability." The conversion is expected to be completed by June 1, 2013, for Unit 5 and by December 1, 2013, for Unit 4. PJM spokesman Ray Dotter said that when plants are converted to synchronous condensers they essentially run backward to exert a drag on the system and "tune it." Dotter said FirstEnergy is the first utility in the region PJM has asked to delay coal plant retirements for reliability reasons. He said, however, that the regional transmission organization is continuing to analyze coal plant retirement plans by other utilities and could ask that additional planned closings be delayed. --Bob Matyi, newsdesk@platts.com
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