Energy
Power-Supply Crunch Leads Vistra to Keep Coal Plant Alive Longer
- Illinois facility had been slated to be shut down in 2025
- Extension to 2027 comes as blackout risks on US grids rise
The Baldwin Energy coal-fired energy plant in seen in Baldwin, Illinois.
Source: Steve Jahnke/Southern Illinoisan/AP photoThis article is for subscribers only.
Vistra Corp. now plans to operate a 1,185-megawatt coal-fired power plant in southwestern Illinois through 2027 instead of shutting it down next year as blackout risks rise on the central US grid.
The life of the Baldwin power plant, which produces enough electricity to supply about 592,500 homes, is being extended “amid widespread concern over reliability” on the central US grid operated by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, the company said in a statement Tuesday. This month, Vistra also brought online 68 megawatts of solar generation and a 2-megawatt energy system at the same facility.