Cleco, SWEPCO to close Louisiana coal plant early
Cleco and US power producer American Electric Power (AEP) subsidiary Southwestern Electric Power (SWEPCO) will retire the Dolet Hills coal-fired power plant in Louisiana at the end of this year, five years ahead of schedule.
Cleco and SWEPCO expect to retire Dolet Hills on 31 December as part of their efforts to reduce costs. The 638MW plant was previously scheduled to close in 2026.
Since 2019, the facility has operated seasonally. This year the plant ended seasonal operations on 31 October and took its last coal delivery last month, Cleco said.
"The cost of coal used to operate our Dolet Hills plant in Mansfield has increased to the point that the unit is no longer competitive," Cleco's chief operations officer Robbie LaBorde said in September.
In 2020, Cleco also said that the low market price of power, coupled with the cost of lignite mined at the nearby Oxbow mine was contributing to the Dolet Hills plant being less competitive.
The plant will lay off 54 of its employees.
Cleco, which holds a 50pc stake in Dolet Hills, operates the facility. SWEPCO has 40pc ownership, while the remaining 10pc stake in the plant is held by the North Texas Electric Cooperative and the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority.
In the first seven months of 2021, Dolet Hills received 293,462 short tons (266,224 metric tonnes) of coal from Dolet Hills Lignite company's Oxbow mine in Louisiana, according to US Energy Information Administration data.
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Vietnam’s Vinacomin to boost coal imports
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Leaders call for fast-tracking renewable projects
Leaders call for fast-tracking renewable projects
New York, 24 September (Argus) — Countries need to fast track permitting processes for renewable projects and build more transmission infrastructure to meet the goal of tripling global renewable capacity by 2030, leaders said at the Global Renewables summit today. At the UN's Cop 28 climate summit in Dubai last year, countries agreed to take action to triple global renewable energy capacity from 2022 levels by 2030 and to double energy efficiency. Almost a year later, there are major barriers that are impeding investment needed to boost a faster expansion of renewables. "We must double down on implementation," European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said at the event in New York, New York. Permitting has become a major barrier for developers to build their renewable and transmissions projects within the timeframes originally set, leading to delays and rising costs. This is turn creates uncertainty for investors interested in providing funds for the development of projects and expecting returns, speakers said. Countries' nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to reduce greenhouse emissions not only need to show their renewable capacity targets but also their electricity grid goals that allow the flow of renewable electricity and accelerate the growth of renewable capacity, Cop 28's president Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said. Sorting out these bottlenecks with the proper regulations and policies will create certainty for investors and attract more project financing, leaders agreed. This year's Cop 29 will focus on speeding the delivery of goals set at Cop 28 as well as expanding and adding new solutions for the integration of renewables. Cop 29 president-designate from Azerbaijan Mukhtar Babayev said that they hope countries back a pledge to increase global energy storage capacity to 1.5GW by 2030 and to add or refurbish more than 80mn km (49mn miles) of electricity grids by 2040. By Jacqueline Echevarria Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Spain approves new national energy and climate plan
Spain approves new national energy and climate plan
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Cop 28 goals ‘feasible’ with right conditions: IEA
Cop 28 goals ‘feasible’ with right conditions: IEA
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