Fisk, Crawford Electric Plants To Shut Down In September

By Chuck Sudo in News on May 3, 2012 1:30PM

The Fisk Generating Plant in Pilsen (pictured) will shut down in September. (Image Credit: Kenneth Spencer)

Start preparing to play Steam's "Kiss Him Goodbye:" Midwest Generation announced Wednesday they'll be shutting down the Fisk and Crawford coal-powered electric generation plants in September. For the Fisk plant in Pilsen, that's three months ahead of schedule, while Crawford in Little Village will close more than two years ahead.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Clean Power Coalition in February negotiated a deal with Midwest Generation to close the plants well in advance of a mandated 2018 shutdown. Midwest Generation could keep the plants open if they retrofit them to meet current EPA emissions standards, but the company has complained that wholesale energy prices have bottomed out to the point where the company can't turn a profit and thus can't afford to retrofit the plants. There is a possibility Midwest Generation, Illinois' second-largest electricity supplier may shut down its other plants in Illinois.

For shutting down early, Midwest Generation expects to see a tax deduction of $64 million for Fisk and $87 million for Crawford, while giving the company an extra year to determine the fate of their plant in Waukegan.

In a statement to media Faith Bugel, senior attorney with Environmental Law & Policy Center, said, “We welcome the news that both plants will close earlier than expected. Midwest Generation made this decision independently based on an economic analysis. Coal is not just harmful to public health and air quality; it's bad for business too. Clean energy is where the jobs are now.”

Brian Urbaszewski, Director of Environmental Health for Respiratory health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, said, “Chicago still has a long term air pollution problem and finally closing the last several ancient, inefficient and dirty coal power plants in the Chicago area would improve the health of all area residents by reducing asthma attacks, heart attacks, hospitalizations and deaths.”