It’s a deal: Kansas and Sunflower agree on new coal plant

Big news in Kansas: Gov. Mark Parkinson announced on Monday that the state and Sunflower Electric Power Company had reached an agreement to build one new 895-megawatt supercritical coal-based power plant on condition the Legislature passes a package of measures on renewable energy—essentially tying one sustainable energy measure to another.

Sounds reasonable to me. We agree with energy efficiency and adding renewable resources to the energy mix … but we also recognize that traditional fuels like coal will be needed to ensure affordable and reliable energy to meet growing demand.

Sunflower’s end of the deal includes the following:

• Sunflower will begin immediate construction on a 179-megawatt wind farm to bring an additional 30-plus megawatts of wind energy online by 2016.

• In addition to using pulverized coal, the plant will also incorporate up to 10 percent of biofuels into the overall fuel mix.

• Sunflower will further reduce emissions through clean coal technologies, including low-NOx burners and the latest carbon mitigation technologies. Sunflower will also undertake substantial energy efficiency measures, including the retirement of two older power stations and investing profits into ongoing energy efficiency measures.

By combining green energy and mitigation, Gov. Parkinson said, "It's entirely possible the carbon impact of this plant is zero, or less than zero." That is something that we had been saying all along. Opponents of building any new coal plants (they oppose every plant regardless of the circumstance) have failed to recognize the long-term opportunities associated with building new, more efficient power plants that can ultimately be retro-fitted with new technologies for carbon capture and storage at lower costs.

In a statement, Sunflower said it was pleased with the proposal as it meets the baseload electricity needs of the region while also promoting renewable energy sources. Personally, I think that is an understatement. This plant had been put on-hold for too long, especially given that the permitting authority had agreed to approve the permit over two years ago.

Yesterday’s news will help boost the Kansas economy, as Sunflower now starts construction that is estimated to create more than 1,500 with a 46-month construction cycle. The new unit is expected to require 50 permanent and full-time employees, resulting in 99 additional new jobs across the state for a total of 149.

We couldn’t be more pleased with this announcement. Besides showcasing the public and private sectors working together to solve our energy and economic challenges, this case proves that coal-based energy can work alongside renewables and energy efficiency measures to reduce emissions, supply affordable baseload power and get Americans back to work.

This announcement also serves as a signal to the opponents of this and all other coal projects that given time, policymakers and others are often able to find a balanced solution that allows them to do what is right for the environment and our economy.

Read the official ACCCE statement on the Sunflower expansion in Kansas.