DOE orders Pennsylvania power plant to delay closure

E&E News

3 days ago

The Department of Energy late on Friday used emergency powers to force the continued operation of a fossil fuel power plant past its planned Saturday retirement date, marking the second time DOE has delayed a plant retirement in as many weeks.
The DOE order directs PJM Interconnection, the grid operator in the mid-Atlantic region, to operate units 3 and 4 at the Eddystone Generating Station south of Philadelphia until late August. Run by Constellation Energy, the two 380-megawatt units can use natural gas and oil.
'This emergency order helps keep money in consumers' pockets while keeping their homes and businesses fully powered,' Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement. 'Energy shortfalls or unnecessary price increases are not options in this Administration.'
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A week earlier, DOE ordered the continued operation of a coal plant planned for retirement in Michigan. The Eddystone order Friday, which is made under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act and expires Aug. 28, cites potential power generation shortfalls for PJM.