E.D. Edwards Power Plant
Coal power plant located on the Illinois River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The E.D. Edwards Power Plant is an inoperative coal-fired generating plant owned by Vistra Energy. The plant, with a nameplate capacity of 780 megawatts, was connected with the high-tension power supply lines of Central Illinois. It is located on the Illinois River and the Union Pacific Railroad, adjacent to the municipality of Bartonville.
- United States
- December 2022
| E.D. Edwards Power Plant | |
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View of smokestacks from US Route 24 | |
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| Coordinates | 40°35′44″N 89°39′47″W |
| Status | Decommissioned |
| Decommission date |
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| Power generation | |
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The Edwards plant, built by the former Central Illinois Light Company (CILCO), began operations in 1960. Ameren owned the plant until it was acquired by Dynegy in 2013.[1] Dynegy was purchased by Vistra Energy in April 2018.[2]
Closure
Starting in 2013, environmental groups headed by the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council took legal action to shut down the power plant.[3] The groups asserted that the plant generated illegal levels of coal dust particulates and was nearing the end of its useful life.[4] The groups filed a Clean Air Act lawsuit.[5]
Unit 1 of the plant was retired in December 2015.[1] Unit 2 came online in 1968 and Unit 3 came online in 1972.[1]
In line with the terms of a settlement announced in September 2019 [6] and approved by a federal court in November 2019, the plant was scheduled to close no later than December 31, 2022.[7] The closure was expected to affect 70 jobs.[6] The settlement also provided for $8.6 million in grants funding for workforce training and development, public health, and environmental projects to benefit local communities.[8][9][10]
As of January 2023, the coal-powered portions of the site were officially closed.[11] Vistra Energy is currently transitioning the site to electric battery storage.[12] The renewed plant would create 88 jobs.[11]