South Texas coal-fired power plant to switch to solar and battery facility

• 1 year, 7 days ago (2024-12-24)
• David Flin

Coal 345 North America 1064 Solar 326

---

A coal-fired power plant in South Texas, USA, will receive over $1 billion in funding from the US Department of Agriculture to convert the plant into a solar and battery facility.

The owner, San Miguel Electric Cooperative , will be funded by a federal grant of around $1.4 billion to support clean energy while maintaining rural jobs. After the transformation, Texas will have only 14 coal-fired plants in the state.

Environmental groups have criticised the power plant for a long time, claiming that it was a leading polluter of mercury and that two coal ash ponds are causing pollution in groundwater in the area. San Miguel denies that the plant is contaminating the groundwater, adding that the groundwater isn’t used as drinking water, and that it is in compliance with appropriate environmental regulations.

San Miguel still needs to establish a timeline for shutting the plant down.