WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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BLOOMINGTON – Hoosier Energy announced last Tuesday their plans to close The Merom Generating Station in Sullivan County in 2023, affecting nearly 200 utility workers.
Founded in 1949, Hoosier Energy is a non-profit generation and transmission cooperative. It serves 18 member electric cooperatives in central and southern Indiana, as well as southeastern Illinois. The cooperative’s mission is to provide members with assured, reliable and competitively priced energy and services in a safe and environmentally acceptable manner.
According to Indiana Public Media, Hoosier spokesperson Greg Seiter said the decision is in large part a cost savings move.
The cooperative plans to idle the Sullivan County 1,070-megawatt coal-fired plant as part of a transition to other energy sources. These include less expensive sources such as wind, solar, natural gas and storage.
According to a Hoosier Energy Press Release, the cooperative said closing the plant is part of a long-range resource plan designed to provide its 18 member power cooperatives with “reliable, affordable and environmentally sustainable energy while saving members an estimated 700-million-dollars over the next two decades.”
This plan is estimated to cut the cooperative’s carbon footprint by nearly 80-percent. Headquartered in Bloomington, the cooperative delivers power through a nearly 1,700-mile transmission network, reaching 650,000 consumers. The cooperative’s members serve more than 300,000 homes, farms and businesses.
The Merom Generating Station services several thousand residents in Monroe and Green Counties. Hoosier Energy gave their announcement a day after Hallador Energy Company, located in Terre Haute, said that coal production has been retired at Carlisle Mine in Sullivan County, affecting 90 full-time employees.
According to the Tribune-Star, Hoosier President and CEO states, “we sincerely value our dedicated employees and will help those impacted during this transition by working with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to offer assistance such as retraining, reassignment and professional outplace, along with retirement options.”
