CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey took action Thursday to save a coal-fired power plant in northern West Virginia, a move designed to preserve reliable electricity for consumers and protect the jobs of plant workers and countless others whose livelihoods depend upon its continued success.
The Attorney General’s petition seeks to intervene in an ongoing proceeding before the state’s Public Service Commission. The case involves American Electric Power subsidiaries and potential investment needed to preserve the long-term operation of the Mitchell Power Plant in Moundsville.
“We remain dedicated to doing everything within our power to help West Virginia consumers maintain access to reliable electricity,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “Ensuring such capacity is fundamental to national security and powering our state’s economy, as well as protecting the jobs of hard-working, West Virginian utility workers, coal miners and countless others who rely upon their success.”
The Attorney General’s petition supports the continued operation of the Mitchell Plant beyond 2028 – a break with those who remain neutral on its retirement and environmentalists who favor an end to the use of fossil fuels, a move that would devastate West Virginia’s economy and the livelihoods of those who depend upon the success of coal mining.
A federal regulation requires American Electric Power subsidiary Wheeling Power to commit to the necessary investments for Mitchell by October. Without such commitment and approvals from the PSC, federal regulators would force the company to cease operations at the Mitchell plant by 2028.
Wheeling Power has requested a decision from the PSC by July 31.