As Ga. awaits new nuclear plants and more solar energy, this resource is going away (coal)

[jpak]

https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article233123461.html

With little fanfare, Georgia’s Public Service Commission voted to allow Georgia Power to close several plants last week. Four coal-burning units at Plant Hammond near Rome Georgia will be permanently retired, along with a coal-burning unit at Plant McIntosh in Rincon.

The order also allows Georgia Power to retire several small obsolete hydroelectric power plants, including Langdale and Riverview on the Chattahoochee River north of Columbus, and their smallest unit, Plant Estatoah in Rabun County. The dams associated with the plants along the Chattachocchee will be removed. According to the company’s website, this “will benefit aquatic species by enhancing the area’s riverine shoal habitat” and “will provide a scenic and unobstructed stretch of river for local communities and visitors, including enhanced river connectivity for natural recreational paddling experiences.”

Make no mistake, however, the environmental news of this action is the closure of additional coal-fired electric generating units. Less than a decade ago, 70% of Georgia Power’s capacity was produced by coal. Two years ago, the number had moved below 50%. With an increased focus on renewable energy and the pending completion of two new nuclear units at Plant Vogtle, the trend line for coal will continue to be downward.

The vote was part of the PSC’s adoption of Georgia Power’s 2019 Integrated Resources Plan, which is the three-year plan to meet Georgia’s near-term energy needs. Included in the plan passed unanimously by the PSC is the addition of 2,210 megawatts of renewable energy.

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"With little fanfare..." - were they afeared of the Wrath of the Mango Shitgibbon?

:shrug"