Officers with PJM Interconnection stated a coal-fired energy unit in Delaware could be closed two years forward of schedule. The grid operator this month introduced the Indian River Unit 4, a 411-MW generator in southern Delaware owned by NRG, could be taken offline with out detrimental impacts to energy reliability. The Indian River plant, positioned in Sussex County and which at one time operated 4 coal-fired models, first got here on-line in 1957.
PJM in an announcement stated Delmarva Energy, which owns regional transmission, has accomplished system upgrades supporting grid reliability, enabling the coal-fired unit to close down 22 months forward of its scheduled decommissioning date. Delmarva Energy on Dec. 18 stated it had accomplished the Vienna-Nelson line improve, the final piece of transmission upgrades that can enable Indian River 4 to be retired with out creating grid reliability points.
NRG in June 2021 informed PJM it needed to retire Indian River 4 by June 2022. PJM performed an evaluation of grid reliability and at the moment stated closing the unit would create points for grid. The grid operator recognized a number of attainable transmission upgrades to handle these points, and stated it estimated these upgrades may very well be accomplished by year-end 2026.
PJM in a proper request requested NRG to maintain Indian River 4 on-line below a Reliability Should-Run, or RMR, settlement whereas these upgrades had been being accomplished. NRG agreed to keep up the coal-fired unit below a fee schedule that was authorized by the Federal Vitality Regulatory Fee. PJM has notified NRG of its intent to terminate the RMR association with the grid upgrades accomplished.
The RMR will formally finish in February of subsequent 12 months, or 22 months previous to the unique end-date of December 2026. That can allow a financial savings of about two years of RMR funds, estimated at about $93 million in accordance with the settlement fee filed with FERC.
“Delmarva’s good work to finish this mission far forward of schedule is a win for our prospects, each from a reliability and affordability perspective,” stated Mike Bryson, senior vice president-operations at PJM, in a press release. “PJM regards RMR preparations as a final resort to maintain models quickly operational to keep up system reliability whereas we make transmission enhancements to stability the system, so the earlier we will get the work carried out, the higher.”
Unit 4 at Indian River entered business operation in 1980. Models 1 and a pair of, every with about 82 MW of technology capability, had been retired in 2013. The 177-MW Unit 3 on the website was taken offline in 2014.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
