In this Sept. 8, 2015 photo, a natural gas rig pumps away in the foreground of the coal-fired Huntington Power Plant west of Huntington, Utah. PacifiCorp, which owns the plant, has reversed its plan to retire it early. Rocky Mountain Power is abandoning its plans for early retirement of its coal-fired power plants in Utah, and instead will stick with the original retirement dates of 2036 and 2042, the company announced Monday.
The updated plans “include extensions to the assumed operational life of certain thermal generating resources, as well as adjustments to the company’s energy storage acquisition strategy, customer demand forecasts and general resource pricing updates,” Rocky Mountain said in a press release announcing the update.
PacifiCorp planned on putting two more Natrium plants – identical to the Kemmerer plant – at the sites of Hunter and Huntington, but that is now off the table. “This is a disappointing step backward. What was going to be Utah’s opportunity to lead in the new energy era is being squandered in the updated plan,” said Logan Mitchell, Climate Scientist and Energy Analyst for Utah Clean Energy. “The 2023 IRP Update pumps the brakes on clean energy development, putting massive economic opportunity at risk if PacifiCorp doesn’t change course and get back on track.
SB224 essentially upended the paradigm that made the utility prove to the PSC it was choosing the least cost/least risk options for providing power. Instead, the PSC must now assume the coal plants are the best option, and it’s up to others to prove they aren’t. As part of SB224, the Legislature also set up a self-insurance fund for Rocky Mountain. Under the bill, every Utah customer will pay a surcharge on their bill that will go to a Rocky Mountain fund that can be used to pay wildfire claims in the state. That lowers the company’s exposure.