FirstEnergy Plans Shippingport Nuclear Plant Closure

PITTSBURGH, PA - -About a thousand jobs could be lost as a result of FirstEnergy Solution’s plan to deactivate its Beaver Valley Power Station in Shippingport, Beaver County. The nuclear power plant will close in 2021, the company announced.

FirstEnergy also plans to shutter its two nuclear plants in Ohio, in Oak Harbor and Perry. The company said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be given written notification of the intended closures within 30 days.

"The decision to deactivate these facilities is very difficult and in no way a reflection on the dedicated, hard-working employees who operate the plants safely and reliably or on the local communities and union leaders who have advocated passionately on their behalf," Don Moul, president of FES Generation Companies and chief nuclear officer, said in a statement. "Though the plants have taken aggressive measures to cut costs, the market challenges facing these units are beyond their control.”

With its 1,000 workers, the Shippingport plant is one of Beaver County’s largest employers, according to the company’s website. The plant contributes more than $4 million annually in property, payroll and utility taxes.

The closure announcement came with First Energy pledging to work toward unspecified “legislative solutions to keep these plants operating.” The company said it also will look for potential purchasers for the facilities.

"We call on elected officials in Ohio and Pennsylvania to consider policy solutions that would recognize the importance of these facilities to the employees and local economies in which they operate,” Moul said. “We stand ready to roll-up our sleeves and work with policy makers to find solutions that will make it feasible to continue to operate these plants in the future."

Photo via FirstEnergy.