Indian River Coal Plant Committed to Retire by 2022

DOVER -- On Thursday, June 17th, utility company NRG announced its commitment to retire the final and largest coal boiler at the Indian River power plant by 2022. The 410 megawatt unit in Dagsboro, Delaware will retire just as the state recently enacted major legislation to increase its renewable energy commitment from 25 percent to 40 percent by 2035. The retirement of the final coal-fired unit at the Indian River Plant will move Delaware, President Joe Biden’s home state, completely beyond coal-fired generation within the state.

The news comes on the heels of several other coal plant retirement announcements in neighboring Pennsylvania and Maryland, as well as Ohio. Coal is increasingly losing out to more affordable clean energy. A Bloomberg analysis of the most recent PJM capacity auction found that 70 percent of coal in the regional grid will be uneconomic by 2023, signaling a significant shift toward clean, renewable energy.

For years, Indian River has been a major source of air and water pollution in the region. In 2019, the unit now scheduled to retire emitted nearly 500,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide, 150,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides, and almost 200,000 pounds of carbon dioxide. A recent report also found extensive groundwater contamination from coal ash at the plant. 

State Senator Stephanie Hansen (D-Middletown), a strong advocate for Delaware’s clean energy future, issued the following statement: 

"This is great news for Delaware and the Indian River watershed. Burning dozens of rail cars worth of coal each day, the Indian River plant has long been a source of air pollution and serious health issues in the area, particularly among low-income and minority populations," said Sen. Stephanie Hansen, D-Middletown, the chair of the Senate Environment & Energy Committee." While I am celebrating this announcement, my colleagues and I still have many questions about NRG and what this decision means for the future of the plant's large coal ash pits, which we know are seeping dangerous chemicals into the groundwater. My hope is the company has a plan to address the environmental damage that could result from this plant long after it has burned it's last hunk of coal."

Maria Payan, a Sussex County resident and co-founder of Sussex Health & Environmental Network, issued the following statement: 

"Our vulnerable communities are grateful that the Indian River power plant is retiring but our fenceline communities seek investments in truly renewable but also sustainable energy, where the public health of the community and environment is carefully scrutinized so our most vulnerable are protected. The vision of Sussex Health & Environmental Network is to ensure a clean environment for all, as we move forward. This is especially important as we site new projects in our county.”

Sherri Evans-Stanton,  Director of the Sierra Club Delaware Chapter, issued the following statement:

“For over 60 years, working families in Sussex County have been made to bear the economic, environmental, and public health costs of living next to a dirty polluting coal plant. Over the years, the plant has been a significant source of hazardous air pollution, toxic drinking water contamination, discharges of hexavalent chromium, and increased cancer rates. 

“With the retirement of the Indian River plant, the state needs to ensure there is support and planning for the impacted communities and any impacted workers. We’re grateful for President Biden’s leadership in establishing the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization and his proposal to increase funding for the Economic Development Administration’s Assistance to Coal Communities program. We hope additional support and resources will start flowing to communities like Dagsboro right in his home state. It is critical that we ensure the clean up of any legacy pollution issues with this plant and grow the clean energy economy in Southern Delaware to make sure the families that have been burdened by coal pollution for decades are prioritized in getting the benefits of the clean energy economy.”