We Energies Delays Retirement Of Oak Creek Coal Generators

OAK CREEK, WI — Four coal generators installed at the We Energies Oak Creek Power Plant in the 1950s and 1960s will continue operating past their previously scheduled retirement dates amid energy supply concerns in the Midwest, the utility company announced Thursday in a news release.

Units 5 and 6 will remain until May 2024, a year past their original retirement date; while units 7 and 8 will keep running until 2025, 18 months longer than previously expected, We Energies said.

The four coal units have a total capacity of 1,100 megawatts and were mostly put into service nearly seven decades ago. In November of 2021, the company set a goal to phase out coal entirely by 2035. Two other coal-fired units that were installed in 2010 and 2011 are still expected to remain in service past the older units' retirement.

SEE ALSO: Coal Is Out For We Energies, Oak Creek By 2035

We Energies President Scott Lauber said the decision is based on two critical factors: A tight energy supply in the Midwest's market, and supply chain problems that can delay the commercial operation of renewable projects.

With the delay, however, the company asserts it is still committed to aggressive environmental goals. Those goals include a 60 percent cut in CO2 emissions from the We Energies power fleet by 2025 and an 80 percent reduction by 2030 when compared to numbers from 2005.

“Because we plan to operate the older units at Oak Creek largely during the days of highest customer demand, we’re confident that we can remain on track to achieve these industry-leading targets,” Lauber said in the news release.

Oak Creek has long dealt with the fallout from coal-fired power plants, including at times when black dust has drifted from the power plant toward its neighbors.

It happened in 2018, Patch reported. People found the dust on their cars, homes and playgrounds.