The firm is requesting to decertify units 3 and 4 at the Branch plant in Putnam County; units 1-5 at the Yates plant in Coweta County; units 1 and 2 at the McManus plant in Glynn County; and units 1-4 at the Kraft plant in Chatham County.
Georgia Power expects to ask for decertification of the units by 16 April 2015 – the effective date that the Environmental Protection Agency’s Mercury and Air Toxics rule will go into effect.
In addition, the company expects to seek a one-year extension for MATS compliance for its Kraft plant, and intends to retire those units one year later.
Georgia Power president and CEO Paul Bowers remarked about the significant impact of these retirements on the local communities.
"These decisions were made after extensive analysis and are necessary in order for us to maintain our commitment to provide the most reliable and affordable electricity to our customers," Bowers added.
"We are in the midst of a significant transition in our fleet that will result in a more diverse fuel portfolio – including nuclear, 21st century coal, natural gas, renewables and energy efficiency – to ensure we maintain our commitment for generations to come."
As of now, Georgia Power operates 11,387MW of coal-fueled generation at 10 power plants across the state of Georgia.
