Edward Smith, edward.smith@sierraclub.org
Little Rock, AR – SWEPCO finalized its intent to burn coal at the Flint Creek power plant until 2038, today when it filed its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) with the Arkansas Public Service Commission (PSC). SWEPCO failed to study the economics of retiring Flint Creek and simply assumed, without any analysis in its IRP, to keep running the high-cost plant on coal. The utility also plans to convert the Welsh coal plant to run on gas in 2028 and operate on gas until 2037, while removing its plan to build a new gas power plant detailed in the original draft. SWEPCO also plans to add 2,500 megawatts of wind energy by 2025 while delaying plans to add a significant amount of new solar until the 2030s.
Sierra Club filed comments and stakeholder comments that the IRP schedule limited the ability for stakeholders to meaningfully engage and for the utility to incorporate feedback. Some of the recommendations that Sierra Club and stakeholders asked SWEPCO to consider that it did not include are public health and environmental justice impacts, a life-cycle carbon analysis, and study of an early retirement scenario for its Flint Creek coal plant.
An IRP details different scenarios on how the utility will meet energy demand for the next twenty years and beyond. The IRP is mandated by the PSC, which regulates utilities like SWEPCO in exchange for their monopoly status and guaranteed return on approved investments. Sierra Club will continue to provide feedback to SWEPCO and the PSC on how it can improve its energy resource planning modeling and why the utility should focus on transitioning from fossil fuels to a clean energy portfolio.
Statement from Josh Smith, staff attorney for Sierra Club:
“SWEPCO’s plan lacks the type of thorough economic analysis that could have found cost savings in retiring its coal plants and adding solar resources faster. It’s disappointing that SWEPCO refused to study the economics of retiring Flint Creek more quickly, and simply assumes without justification that customers should pay for this plant through 2038. SWEPCO needs to change course at Flint Creek soon and avoid wasting further customer money on this plant. Sierra Club will urge regulators to stop issuing blank checks for SWEPCO’s wasteful spending at Flint Creek. The good news is that SWEPCO plans to add a large amount of wind energy while we’ll continue to compel the utility to add solar and storage resources sooner.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of 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.