Above: A computer rendering of the proposed natural gas-fired plant that will be built on the location of the Independence Steam Electric Station in Newark.
Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Corporation has asked state regulators to approve construction of a $2.6 billion natural gas power plant in Newark to replace aging coal generation set to retire by decade’s end, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
The nonprofit filed its application Tuesday with the Arkansas Public Service Commission to build the 1,499-megawatt facility adjacent to the coal-fired Independence Power Plant in Independence County.
The corporation serves roughly 1.3 million Arkansans through 17 member cooperatives across 74 of the state’s 75 counties. The Independence coal plant is scheduled to shut down by the end of 2030, leaving a significant gap in baseload capacity.
Corporation attorney Michael Sappington told commissioners the project would “responsibly meet not only AECC’s immediate capacity and energy needs for our ratepayers, but serve to also balance the immediate and long-term economic potential of our ratepayer communities here in Arkansas.”
An energy consultant for commission staff called the project’s price “not unreasonable” but raised concerns about excess capacity and competitive bidding, the Democrat-Gazette reported.
Commissioners asked for estimated impacts on customers’ bills and said they will issue a ruling in June.
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