Curtis Tate, Author at West Virginia Public Broadcasting

West Virginia Power Plants Ran Out Of Coal In Late 2021, AEP Testifies

In testimony in recent weeks filed with the state Public Service Commission, American Electric Power told regulators it couldn’t replenish its coal supply after September because of high worldwide demand.

Late last year, the unthinkable happened. Power plants in West Virginia, the nation’s No. 2 coal producer, ran out of coal.

The price of natural gas skyrocketed last year as the economy rebounded from COVID-19. Coal prices rose, too, but it became the cheaper way to generate electricity.

AEP told regulators it couldn’t get Appalachian coal producers to replenish its coal stocks. The company even looked as far as Illinois and Wyoming.

As a result, the company had to idle its West Virginia power plants for longer periods than planned. Otherwise, they risked running out of coal during the peak winter months.

Additionally, AEP had to purchase electricity from other sources at a higher price. The company is asking the PSC for a 9.7% rate increase effective May 1.

Coal Plants Customers Will Pay To Upgrade Sat Idle For Parts Of 2021

Critics have questioned whether all three plants will be needed as coal continues to lose ground to natural gas and renewables.

Federal data show a northern West Virginia power plant was idle for a portion of last year as regulators approved a plan to upgrade the plant and charge ratepayers for it.

Unit 1 at the Mitchell Power Plant generated no electricity for three months in 2021, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Unit 2 at the plant, in Marshall County, was idle for one month.

The plant is jointly operated by American Electric Power subsidiaries Kentucky Power and Wheeling Power. West Virginia Public Service Commission is currently considering the sale of Kentucky Power to Algonquin Power.

AEP officials testified to the commission on Thursday that one of Mitchell’s units is currently idle.

Last year, the PSC approved wastewater treatment upgrades that’ll enable Mitchell and two other coal-burning plants in West Virginia to remain in operation beyond 2028. West Virginia ratepayers will be responsible for the cost.

Critics have questioned whether all three plants will be needed as coal continues to lose ground to natural gas and renewables.

The same federal data show that units at the Mountaineer and John Amos power plants were also idle for portions of 2021.

Mountaineer, in Mason County, did not generate electricity for two months in 2021. John Amos, in Putnam County, has three units. One unit at the plant was idle for three months, and the remaining units were idle for two months.

In total, the upgrades will cost ratepayers $448 million.

Officials also testified that both of Mitchell’s units, which are 50 years old, have significant corrosion from decades of burning high-sulfur coal. That suggests more costs going forward for ratepayers, in addition to the wastewater treatment upgrades.

12 Years Later, Upper Big Branch Families Remember The 29 Miners Lost

A ceremony was held at noon at the memorial in Raleigh County to the 29 mine workers who lost their lives on April 5, 2010.

The families of the miners killed in the Upper Big Branch disaster marked its 12th anniversary on Tuesday.

A ceremony was held at noon at the memorial in Raleigh County to the 29 mine workers who lost their lives on April 5, 2010.

Investigators found that a buildup of methane and coal dust contributed to the fatal explosion.

Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was convicted in 2015 of violating federal mine safety law. He was sentenced to a year in prison and paid a $250,000 fine. In December, a federal appeals court denied Blankenship’s bid to have his conviction overturned.

In 2011, Alpha Natural Resources, which acquired Massey, paid a $210 million settlement that included compensation for the miners’ families, fines and safety upgrades.

Coal mine fatalities have declined sharply in recent years with a decline in coal production.

Five mine workers have been killed on the job this year, according to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, following 10 fatalities in 2021 and five in 2020.

National Park Service Plans Fire To Maintain Habitat in New River Gorge

Fire management officials plan to burn 14 acres of the park near the Grandview Visitors Center sometime between Friday and May 15.

A prescribed burn will take place in the New River Gorge National Park and preserve.

Fire management officials plan to burn 14 acres of the park near the Grandview Visitors Center sometime between Friday and May 15.

Conditions such as wind speed and direction and humidity will factor into when the burn takes place. Park officials expect it to take several hours.

According to park officials, the purpose of the burn will be to preserve grassland habitat for a declining bird species.

Fire is an important part of forest management in the New River Gorge and other national parks. Many of them use fire to improve habitat and to clear away dry material that could ignite later.

In December, about 30 acres burned near the historic Nutallburg mining camp. It took firefighters from multiple states and other national parks several days to contain it.

Months before that fire, the National Park Service had cleared away brush and leaves near structures at the site, protecting them from damage.

As Demand For Coal Rises, Not Enough Trains Ready To Move It

Tens of thousands of tons of coal rumble through West Virginia every day on their way to power plants or export terminals. Coal producers say there’s enough demand for coal right now to ship even more.

Most coal is transported by rail across the country, but there aren’t enough trains to move it.

Anthony Hatch, a veteran rail consultant based in New York, says railroads had little reason to invest in tracks, locomotives, railcars and workers in coal-producing regions.

“The railroads were going to invest less in their coal franchises for the same reasons that power plants were switching to gas,” he said. “Because of the long-term story.”

Hatch says no new coal cars have been built since 2015. Railcars can remain in service for 30 to 50 years.

U.S. coal production, and shipments by rail, peaked in 2008 at more than a billion tons. By 2020, coal production had fallen in half.

After hitting bottom in 2020, coal production went up in 2021, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The challenges posed by COVID on top of years of steady decline may have caught railroads off-guard.

Like other industries during the pandemic, railroads have had trouble hiring. Train crews have to go through six to nine months of training. COVID has also sidelined workers at a time when they’re needed.

Companies that ship by rail have complained about delays – and not just for coal.

Railroads may not have long to take advantage of the renewed demand for coal. Past booms have lasted a few years, maybe a decade. But this one? No one really knows for sure.

“There’s debate even among the railroads that are major coal carriers about how long it lasts,” Hatch said.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts that coal will have another good year.

But it also predicts that coal will be in decline once more during the next several years. Many coal-burning power plants are scheduled to shut down before 2030. They’re becoming more expensive to operate and can’t compete with natural gas and renewables.

Meanwhile, railroads say they want to move more coal.

A spokeswoman for CSX, which operates 2,000 miles of track in West Virginia, says the company is committing more assets and personnel to address the issue.

Testimony: Half Of Mitchell Coal Plant Could Close, Or Burn Gas

An ownership agreement currently before state regulators could result in the shutdown of one of the plant’s two units, or repowering it with natural gas, two technical experts testified.

A proposal to save a coal-burning power plant in northern West Virginia raises new questions about costs and benefits for ratepayers.

Two technical experts from the West Virginia Public Service Commission filed written testimony Monday on the Mitchell Power Plant near Moundsville.

An ownership agreement currently before the commission could result in the shutdown of one of the plant’s two units, or repowering it with natural gas, they testified.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rules require a wastewater treatment upgrade for the plant to remain in operation past 2028.

Kentucky Power owns half the Mitchell plant with Wheeling Power. Last year, Kentucky regulators rejected the wastewater project. The West Virginia PSC allowed the work to continue, with only West Virginia ratepayers paying for it.

Parent company American Electric Power has agreed to sell Kentucky Power.

If the sale is approved, West Virginia ratepayers could still wind up paying the full cost of the Mitchell wastewater project, even if only half the plant would need it.

A hearing set for April 7 could help resolve the issue.