Mississippi Power to Suspend Gasification at Kemper County Power Plant

MS Public Service Commission news release

JACKSON, Mississippi – On June 28th, Mississippi Power Company notified the Mississippi Public Service Commission that it will immediately suspend lignite coal gasification operations at its Kemper County facility; the plant will continue operating as a natural gas plant.

Last week, the Mississippi Public Service Commission moved to have Mississippi Power Company and other parties reach a settlement in the Kemper County Power Plant case to relicense the plant as a natural gas facility. Also, the Public Service Commission moved for a settlement that would, at a minimum, result in no rate increase to customers and shield customers from any risks surrounding the lignite coal portion of the plant. Parties were given 45 days to reach a settlement once the Commission enters its order on the matter.

As settlement negotiations between the Public Utilities Staff, Mississippi Power Company, and other parties continue, the Public Service Commission will proceed with its plan to issue an order addressing the future of the Kemper County facility at its meeting on July 6, 2017.

The Kemper Project, also called the Kemper County energy facility, was designed to be a coal-fired electrical generating station. When construction began in 2010, the plant was to projected to go on line in May 2014 at a cost of 2.4 billion dollars.  As of June 2017, the project was still not in service, and the cost had increased to $7.5 billion.  Kemper is said to be the most expensive power plant ever built, based on the its generating capacity.

For more information on the Kemper Project:

Kemper County proves “clean coal” is myth

MS PSC draws the line on Kemper; gasification abandoned “for now”