S&P Global Market Intelligence ($):

American Electric Power Co. Inc. will shut down units 5 and 6 at its 1,530-MW Conesville coal plant in Coshocton County, Ohio, on May 31, a company spokeswoman confirmed.

The units represent 750MW of generating capacity in the PJM Interconnection market.

In October 2018, AEP said it notified employees of plans to shut down the plant by May 31, 2020. “There are market conditions that could result in two of the generating units at Conesville (Units 5 and 6) closing as soon as May 2019,” AEP spokeswoman Melissa McHenry said at the time. On May 13, she said the company had decided to close the units this month. AEP had previously announced that it would close the two units in 2022.

McHenry said the company expects the other operating unit at the plant, unit 4, to remain in service until May 2020. This unit has 780 MW of capacity, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data.

The plant’s primary sources of coal, according to Market Intelligence data, are the CCU Barb Coal Tipple mine in Coshocton County, Ohio, and Buckingham Mine No. 6 in Perry County, Ohio. CCU Coal and Construction LLC took the mines over from Westmoreland Coal Co. earlier this year.

More ($): AEP to retire 750 MW of coal capacity at Conesville plant