US-based power company Entergy will shut down two large coal-fired power plants totalling 3.6 GW along with one gas-fired facility in Arkansas by 2030, as part of a settlement with environmental groups that sued the utility in federal court for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA). Closing the two coal plants, which do not possess modern scrubbing technology such as low-nitrogen oxide burners to reduce emissions, will avoid Entergy spending an estimated US$2bn to install advanced scrubbers to comply with the latest emissions rules.
The assets slated for closure include namely: the 1,800 MW White Bluff facility in Redfield and the 1,800 MW Independence plant near Newark. They are now expected to be shut down before 2028 and 2030, respectively. Additionally, the 553 MW Lake Catherine gas-fueled station in Malvern will be closed in 2027. Entergy is the majority owner and operator of the three plants.
Entergy will begin using only low-sulfur coal at the White Bluff and Independence coal-fired plants starting in late June 2021. The group will replace the suppressed capacity and will pursue regulatory approval for 800 MW of renewable generating sources, with at least 400 MW brought to regulators no later than the end of 2022 and the remainder by the end of 2027. This includes 181 MW of solar capacity in Arkansas already approved by regulators.