FirstEnergy to shutter most of Bay Shore power plant

First Energy's Bay Shore facility No.3 is seen in Toledo.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This version clarifies that a non-coal-fired part of Bay Shore will remain open.

FirstEnergy Corp. announced Thursday that it intends to close six of its coal-fired plants, including most of its Bay Shore facility in suburban Toledo.

The company said it plans to retire the power generators by Sept. 1. One part of Bay Shore does not generate electricity using coal, and that will remain open.

The Akron-based utility which owns Toledo Edison said it was shutting the facilities because of air emission standards being imposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In all, FirstEnergy said it would also shut plants in Eastlake, Ashabula, and Cleveland in Ohio, as well as in Adrian, Pa., and Williamsport, Md.

The plants collectively produce 2,689 megawatts of electricity and employ 529 workers. Some of those workers could be hired at other FirstEnergy facilities, the company said.

“This decision is not in any way a reflection of the fine work done by the employees of the affected plants, but is related to the impact of the new environmental rules, James H. Lash, FirstEnergy generation executive, said in a statement.

The company, he explained, had recently completed a review of the plants and determined it was not feasible to upgrade the plants to comply with the new environmental standards.

The closings are subject to review by regulatory bodies, it said.