Two coal-fired power plants in the Chicago area, both major sources of air pollution, will be closed by their owner in June of next year, according to a company presentation to its investors.
In a presentation Thursday, NRG announced the planned retirements of the coal plant in Waukegan and another in Romeoville in 2022. NRG representatives didn’t immediately respond to questions about the planned closures.
“This is sooner than anyone anticipated,” said Celeste Flores of the group Clean Power Lake County, which since 2013 has called for closure of the Waukegan plant and advocated for redeveloping the lakefront property. “Now we want a just transition plan from the company. We are the ones living day to day breathing in this pollution.”
The announcement follows months of debate among state lawmakers about when to order the closure of all the remaining coal plants in Illinois to reduce air pollution and fight climate change. That debate came to a grinding halt this week even as Gov. J.B. Pritzker, legislators and various interest groups seemed to be in agreement on a 2035 date for closing all coal plants in the state. Though their numbers are declining nationally, coal plants are a major source of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
NRG, like other fossil fuel power companies, has been exploring a new business model as coal is less economical due to competition from cheaper natural gas power and often-subsidized clean energy sources such as wind and solar. Even subsidized nuclear power is squeezing out coal. A big piece of the energy bill being debated in Springfield is an almost $700 million bailout for three Exelon nuclear power plants so that the state can phase out fossil fuel energy sources.
The announcement was made in a portion of the company’s presentation called “path to decarbonization,” a reference to NRG’s goal of reducing harmful carbon emissions.
The Waukegan plant has been the target of local protests for years because of its proximity to tens of thousands of residents along the lakefront. Waukegan plant officials could not be reached.
Advocates, who have warned of the health impacts of coal plants, welcomed the news.
“The closing of these last big Chicago-area coal-power plants is a testament to the tireless work of local community leaders living in the shadow of smokestacks,” said Brian Urbaszewski, director of environmental health programs for Respiratory Health Association.
Urbaszewski cited a 2012 study that found almost a third of Waukegan High School students had been diagnosed with asthma or experienced asthma symptoms.
NRG previously decided to shut one of two coal plant units in Romeoville in 2014. About 150 people now work at the Romeoville plant. A plant worker who answered the phone said he couldn’t comment.
Brett Chase’s reporting on the environment and public health is made possible by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.
