| The 1,638-MW White Bluff coal plant in Jefferson County, Ark., will be retired by the end of 2028 as part of a settlement agreement with environmental groups that was approved by a federal district judge. Source: Entergy Arkansas Inc. |
Entergy Arkansas LLC will shut down about 4,000 MW of coal and natural gas capacity by the end of 2030 under an agreement with environmental groups that was approved by a federal district judge.
Under the agreement approved March 11 by U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker, Entergy Arkansas will stop burning coal or effectively shut down the 1,638-MW White Bluff power plant in Jefferson County, Ark., by the end of 2028 and will cease coal-fired operations at the 1,668-MW Independence coal plant in Independence County, Ark., by the end of 2030. Entergy Arkansas also agreed to shut down the 522-MW Lake Catherine gas plant by the end of 2027.
The Entergy Corp. subsidiary in November 2018 agreed to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act related to emissions controls at the company's coal plants under a settlement with the Sierra Club and the National Parks Conservation Association.
Starting no later than June 30, 2021, Entergy Arkansas will be required to use only low-sulfur coal at the White Bluff and Independence coal plants.
In addition, the utility will pursue the addition and regulatory approval of 800 MW of renewable energy capacity, with at least half online by the end of 2022 and the rest online by the end of 2027. These renewable energy and storage projects can either be new builds or power purchase agreements.
Entergy Arkansas has denied allegations of improper emissions controls and illegal permit modifications at the White Bluff and Independence coal plants.
The utility argued in 2016 that it would cost customers $2 billion to implement pollution measures, including scrubbers, under a regional haze plan mandated by the Obama administration. Entergy Arkansas decided to stick with the planned coal retirements after the Trump administration approved revisions to exempt the plants from installing additional pollution control equipment.
The White Bluff plant received more than 4.5 million tons of coal in 2019, while the Independence plant received nearly 3.7 million tons of coal in 2019, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data. The plants received the bulk of their coal from Peabody Energy Corp.'s North Antelope Rochelle mine, Arch Coal Inc.'s Black Thunder mine and Cloud Peak Energy Inc.'s Cordero Rojo mine, data shows.