Emily Pomilio, (480) 286-0401, Emily.pomilio@sierraclub.org
Cathy Corkery, (603) 224-8222, catherine.corkery@sierraclub.org
Concord, N.H. —Results of the auction involving Eversource’s (formerly Public Service Company of New Hampshire) power plants were announced today, including Atlas Holdings and Castleton Commodities International as the proposed buyers of the Merrimack and Schiller coal-fired power plants. The Public Utilities Commission of New Hampshire still must approve the sale after a formal review process.
The sale, which came in at $75 million for Merrimack and $10 million for Schiller, is hundreds of millions of dollars less than the utility’s book cost, which will force electricity customers to make up the difference with higher electricity prices. Atlas Holdings is currently converting a former coal plant in Greenidge, NY to gas and biomass.
The Merrimack Station located in Bow, and the Schiller Station in Portsmouth, are the last two coal-fired power plants in New England without a planned retirement date.
In response Cathy Corkery, New Hampshire Chapter Director for the Sierra Club issued the following statement:
“Because of today’s decision, electricity customers will have to continue to bankroll Eversource’s bad decision to keep these coal plants around. New Hampshire’s electricity customers have paid for coal for long enough it is time to replace these dirty and outdated facilities with less expensive, more flexible, and cleaner options that create more jobs and keep our energy dollars in New England. These two plants lack modern pollution controls. Merrimack Station requires new investments to protect the Merrimack River and its aquatic life, and Schiller Station barely operates any more. Ratepayers should not have to bear the brunt of propping up these ancient plants for years to come.”
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The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.