The Board of Public Utilities will close its oldest electric generating units at the Quindaro power plant later in 2019.
The two Quindaro units, which went into operation in 1965 and 1971, were converted to natural gas some years ago and have not been burning coal for some time, said David Mehlhaff, BPU spokesman.
Mehlhaff said there is a high cost to maintain the unit’s steam electric generating units, which rarely are used. Last year, the Quindaro units produced only 3 percent of the BPU’s capacity, he said.
A preliminary feasibility study by Lutz, Daily and Brain found that the BPU has enough capacity to meet future forecasted loads, he said. The units are no longer efficient to operate, according to a BPU management decision based on the study.
Mehlhaff said closing the Quindaro units will save the BPU up to an estimated $10 million each year eventually.
Currently, the BPU uses 45 percent renewable energy, 44 percent coal and about 11 percent natural gas, Mehlhaff said.
He said the closing of the Quindaro units will not result in any loss of jobs here. Some of the operating positions previously were reassigned during the past year to the BPU Nearman plant, according to Mehlhaff. Other positions where offices were at the Quindaro station will be relocated to existing BPU facilities, he said.
Environmental regulations were not a factor in the decision to close the Quindaro units, he said. It is too early to tell what will eventually happen to the two Quindaro units, he said, and for now, they will just be idle.
The BPU management has been talking about the Quindaro units closing for some time, he said, and the decision is the result of that long process and the study.