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CU to Retire Power Generating Units

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Three of five units at James River Power Station in southeast Springfield are being retired in the next few months, and the others will be retired within two years.

In 2015, City Utilities stopped burning coal at the units, which had been in operation since 1957, due to anticipated significant costs to meet regulations.

But the units are no longer needed, according to CU Spokesman Joel Alexander, who said 200 megawatts of wind power they’re bringing in from Oklahoma have almost replaced what the power company had at James River.

"Some of these renewable resources that 10 years ago were so cost prohibitive have now become more of a cost available benefit to our customers, and that's changing on a daily basis through that," Alexander said, "so we're starting to see some of these renewables make some of these older plants, like James River, just hard to keep in operation."

Besides the wind power from Oklahoma, CU has a 40-acre, five megawatt solar farm near Strafford and also gets about three megawatts of power from methane produced at the Noble Hill Landfill.

Alexander is not sure yet what will happen to the James River Power Station when it’s retired, but he said they’ll re-use all the equipment they can elsewhere. 

He said James River Power Station has served the community well for many years, and has set the stage for power generation in Springfield.

"That ability to be independent and have our own resource of power generation here was vital in growing the economy here," said Alexander.

Nearby Lake Springfield was originally built as a cooling source for the power station but is now a source for recreation.  It’s still owned by City Utilities but is managed by the Springfield-Greene County Park Board.

Michele Skalicky has worked at KSMU since the station occupied the old white house at National and Grand. She enjoys working on both the announcing side and in news and has been the recipient of statewide and national awards for news reporting. She likes to tell stories that make a difference. Michele enjoys outdoor activities, including hiking, camping and leisurely kayaking.
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