Talen to stop burning coal at three plants with 3.6GW of capacity in Pennsylvania and Maryland by 2025.

Transitioning to cleaner fuel sources, Talen Energy Corp. will stop burning coal at three of its wholly owned facilities in Pennsylvania and Maryland by the end of 2025 and develop new renewable energy and battery storage resources, the Texas-based power generation company announced Nov. 10.

As part of a deal with the Sierra Club, Talen will cease coal operations at its 1,534.5-MW Montour project in Montour County, Pa., as well as at its 1,278-MW Brandon Shores and 828-MW Herbert A Wagner facilities, both in Anne Arundel County, Md.

“We are among the first in the competitive power generation industry to commit to an accelerated transition from coal,” Talen Energy CEO and Chairman Ralph Alexander said in a statement.

In a prior agreement with the Sierra Club, the company committed to stop burning coal at its 1,470.2-MW Brunner Island generating station in York County, Pa., by the end of 2028.

Talen said it plans to repower the plants to run on “alternate fuel sources.” Calls to the company to identify those sources were not immediately returned. Meanwhile, the company has committed to developing 1,000 MW of new renewable energy and battery storage resources, starting with the 100-MW Montour Solar One Project, planned to break ground adjacent to the coal plant in the fourth quarter of 2021.

In a statement, the Sierra Club applauded Talen’s move away from coal and embrace of solar and battery storage but said it would not support an application to convert Mountour to natural gas. “The Sierra Club will oppose that every step of the way,” the group said.

12 November 2020

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