Closing the Baldwin Power Plant will affect 130 families, IL U.S. Rep. Mike Bost says
A decision to close a coal-fired power plant within the next five years will affect at least 130 families in southern Illinois through lost jobs, an Illinois congressman says.
Texas-based Vistra Corp. announced Tuesday it plans to close the Baldwin Power Plant in Randolph County along with three other plants it owns in Illinois. The closures are part of a plan to transition to renewable energy and to reduce the company’s carbon footprint, according to a statement from Vistra.
U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, called the decision “deeply disappointing” and said he’s afraid more coal-powered plants could shut down if Democrats pursue climate proposals that favor clean energy.
“We must have an all-of-the-above approach to fulfilling America’s energy needs, and these good-paying Randolph County coal jobs were a big part of that,” Bost said.
Jim Burke, chief operating officer for Vistra, said giving advance notice to employees and their families will allow the company to “ease the impact of these closures.”
Spokeswoman Meranda Cohn said the company plans to “communicate more specific plans” to employees as the plant nears closure.
The Baldwin plant struggled economically as early as 2016 when its former owner, Dynegy Inc., wanted to shut down two of the plant’s three generating units. The company said electricity rates were set too low, so low that Dynegy couldn’t recover the cost of running the units.
Vistra still faces the same problem, as well as declining natural gas prices, subsidies for renewable and nuclear energy, and uncertainty about regulation in the energy market. Two of the plant’s three generating units are currently operating.
The company and its subsidiaries have closed 19 of its coal-powered plants since taking over operations in 2016.
Impact of closing Baldwin
Closing the Baldwin plant, among others in Illinois and Ohio, will eliminate the equivalent to a year’s worth of carbon emissions from 10.4 million cars, according to the Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy organization.
It’s the right step toward fighting detrimental effects on the climate and public health, said Mary Anne Hitt, national director of campaigns at the Sierra Club, but Illinois lawmakers and Vistra will have to help those hurt economically by the closures, she added.
“Supporting a fair and robust economic and community transition is a critical next step for Illinois and Ohio as lawmakers in both states are in dialogue about the future of state energy policy,” Hitt said.
In place of coal plants, the company hopes to invest in the state through the Illinois Coal to Solar Energy Storage Act, which stalled in the General Assembly in April 2019. It would provide credits for power companies using renewable energy and it could mean installing renewable technologies such as solar or batteries at former power plant sites, including Baldwin, the Vistra spokeswoman said.
The Sierra Club advocates for passage of the Clean Energy Jobs Act, which Illinois chapter director Jack Darin says would create jobs to replace those lost in communities such as Baldwin, as well as require environmental cleanup.
“We call on the Illinois state legislature to pass the (act) this year, to respond to these closures proactively, and ensure a brighter future for our most impacted communities,” Darin said.
The General Assembly is expected to convene in November for its fall veto session, which could also serve as a time to consider and pass new legislation.
The other Illinois plants slated to close are the Edwards Power Plant in Bartonville, the Joppa Power Plant, the Kincaid Power Plant, and the Newton Power Plant. Last year, the company announced it would close plants in Coffeen, Canton, Havana and Hennepin.
Vistra expects to bring seven solar and energy storage facilities online in Texas within the next two years. The company plans to reduce its carbon emissions 60% by 2030 compared to 2010 levels.
This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 2:56 PM.
