nuclear-news

The proprietors of two struggling nuclear power plants in Ohio say they’re continuing with plans to shut down their Lake Erie facilities, but add that they can switch gears to keep them operating if the state legislature passes a bailout bill quickly.

Meanwhile, an opponent of the bailout is continuing his efforts to keep that from happening, and he says it’s a battle that could affect negotiations over Ohio’s belated budget.

Rep. Mark Romanchuk, R-Ontario, said the Davis-Besse plant east of Toledo and the Perry Nuclear Power Plant northeast of Cleveland have received $10.2 billion in state subsidies since 1999.

“I think that’s enough,” he said.

Both plants are operated by Akron-based FirstEnergy Solutions, which asked for the state bailout. FirstEnergy Solutions had said that Sunday was a hard deadline because it requires months of lead time to order and then process $52 million in fuel for the Davis-Besse reactor. But after the Ohio Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee adjourned Sunday having considered just two of 57 amendments to the controversial legislation, House Bill 6, the company on Monday issued a statement that left some wiggle room.

“While FES is optimistic about the outcome for HB6, the company remains unable to purchase the fuel required for Davis-Besse’s next refueling cycle without the certainty of critical legislative support,” the company said in a statement. “We remain on path for a safe deactivation and decommissioning. Should we receive the long-term certainty that comes with an affirmative vote within this time frame, we will immediately reevaluate our options.”

FirstEnergy Solutions, which is working to emerge from bankruptcy, says it needs $150 million a year from Ohio ratepayers for six years to operate its plants, for a total of $900 million.

Also included in the bailout proposal are two coal-fired power plants, one in Ohio and one in Indiana, that are owned by a group of utilities that includes Columbus-based American Electric Power.

And while HB6 initially was sold as a “clean” energy bill, the latest version would eliminate subsidies for energy efficiency, make it harder to develop wind farms and eliminate a requirement that Ohio’s power companies get 12.5% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2027. ……..

Romanchuk said just the subsidies for the nuclear plants should be enough to reject House Bill 6.

“I’m opposed because 20 years ago we deregulated,” he said Monday. “We don’t need to be giving them subsidies any longer. They’re supposed to be able to compete.”

Over the weekend, as work stalled on HB6, lawmakers failed to pass a two-year budget by the midnight-Sunday deadline, forcing them to pass a 17-day extension. Conflicts over taxes, education and other matters could be sticking points, but Romanchuk suspects the real hangup was HB6.

“My take is that a budget isn’t getting passed until HB6 is resolved,” he said. …..https://www.dispatch.com/news/20190701/deadline-is-blown-but-ohio-nuclear-plant-operators-say-theres-still-time-for-bailout