Appalachian Power Ends Operations at 5 Coal Plants In W.Va. and Va.

"GLEN LYN, Va. — Appalachian Power ceased operations Monday at three coal-fired power plants in West Virginia, and two in Virginia, in order to comply with stricter emissions standards mandated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Among those facilities that were officially retired Monday was the company’s coal-fired Glen Lyn plant located near the state border of West Virginia and Virginia in Giles County. The company stopped burning coal at the Glen Lyn plant in April, John Shepelwich, a corporate communications manager for Appalachian Power, said.

Upgrading the plant to comply with the new federal EPA rules dealing with mercury and air toxic standards was cost prohibitive for the company. The age of the plant, which was built in 1919, also made it difficult to convert the facility from coal to natural gas."

Charles Owens reports for the Bluefield Daily Telegraph June 2, 2015.