Cherelle Blazer, (214) 604-0425, cherelle.blazer@sierraclub.org
Vanessa Ramos, (512) 586-1853, vanessa.ramos@sierraclub.org
Baton Rouge, La. -- Today, SWEPCO filed its long term resource plan at the Louisiana Public Service Commission. This Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) will guide the future energy mix that SWEPCO uses to provide electricity to customers in Shreveport and Northeastern Louisiana.
Unfortunately for SWEPCO’s customers, the IRP envisions continued operations for years to come of the highly expensive Dolet Hills coal-fired power plant in DeSoto Parish, as well as the highly expensive Pirkey coal plant over the state line in east Texas. In fact, Sierra Club’s analysis shows that permanently retiring Dolet Hills would save its customers more than $60 million a year. Indeed, expert economic analysis submitted by Sierra Club demonstrates that the Dolet Hills power plant consistently costs more to operate than it generates in revenue, and should be retired as soon as possible.
SWEPCO did not properly assess the economics operating the Dolet Hills and Pirkey units and did not adequately take into consideration the benefits to electric bill payers of retiring both coal plants and replacing that energy and electric generating capacity with market purchases from SPP or replacing them with a mix of solar and wind power. Based on an expert economist’s analysis, all of SWEPCO's coal units lost money across the SPP market for the past four years (2015 through 2018). SWEPCO pass on those operating losses at the outdated coal-burning plants in the form of higher monthly electric bills to customers in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.
The Dolet Hills coal-fired power plant in Louisiana is the highest polluting power unit in Louisiana, with large air and water emissions. The plant is already 40 years old, it is expensive to operate, and it is keeping rates from coming down compared to replacement with less expensive energy.
In response, Campaign Representative for Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign in Louisiana, Cherelle Blazer released the following statement:
“We are at a critical time. The Dolet Hills coal plant in DeSoto Parish and the Pirkey coal plant across the state line in East Texas are highly expensive. Every day those plants make electric bills for SWEPCO’s customers higher than they should be. Those plants have served Shreveport and northeast Louisiana for the last 40 years, but as they get older, need more repairs, and the coal seams get deeper they get more and more expensive to operate. It is time for those plants to be responsibly phased out over the next couple of years.“
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, 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.