Uncertain Future For Coal?

Vistra Energy announced Friday plans to close two Central Texas coal-fired power plants.

That comes on the heels of their earlier announcement this month that they would close another coal fired power plant.

But the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) said the move has no impact on the Fayette Power Project coal-fire power plant outside La Grange.

“The announcement by Vistra Energy has no bearing on LCRA’s Fayette Power Project. FPP remains an integral component of LCRA’s power generation fleet,” said Bill Lauderback, LCRA executive vice president of Public Affairs:

Despite that comment, such developments in the coal power plant industry could be seen as:

1. a potentially troubling sign for the future of the coal plant here. Or ...

2. As one of a dwindling number of coal plants, FPP is now more indispensable than ever to the state’s power grid. 

Friday, Vista announced its upcoming closures of the plants outside Rockdale (Sandow Power Plant) and Big Brown Power Plant (in Fairfield) one week after announcing the closure of another coal plant it owns, the Monticello plant in Mt. Pleasant.

According to the Dallas Morning News, “the Sierra Club said Monticello is the 259th coal plant to close since 2010. That’s nearly half the coal plants in operation seven years ago, according to the environmental group.”

Vistra blames the closures on low electricity prices and competition from power generated by natural gas and renewable sources.

An estimated 650 workers will lose their jobs because of those closures.