DP&L settlement proposes millions for Dayton, counties and customers

Though Dayton Power & Light (DP&L) intends to sell its stake in three Ohio coal-fired power plants, those plants would likely stay open for now, their owners and operators said.

A rider in a proposed settlement filed this week with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) is designed to ensure that DP&L gets $105 million in revenue a year over three years.

And the settlement also outlines incentives and payments to parties involved in creating DP&L’s electric security plan, an overall plan for the utility to collect revenue and do business.

Dynegy Inc. owns the Miami Fort and Zimmer power stations while American Electric Power owns the Conesville power station, a trio of coal fired units whose ownership stakes DP&L would sell, the utility said this week in the filing with PUCO.

Zimmer has 214 workers while Miami Fort has 149. The Conesville station has about 210 employees.

“We would like to increase our ownership of these plants to 100 percent,” Dynegy spokeswoman Meredith Moore said. “We plan to continue operating those plants as we do today.”

Tammy Ridout, a spokeswoman for AEP, said her company is conducting a “strategic review” for its generation assets in Ohio, including Conesville Plant.

The settlement filed this week with PUCO proposes a $1 million grant fund for economic development purposes “by customers within DP&L’s service territory for energy programs and infrastructure.”

Payments and incentives are set aside for Honda, Kroger, the Ohio Hospital Association, the Ohio Manufacturers Association Energy Group, Adams and Brown counties and others. The city of Dayton would get $200,000 annually for development programs.

RELATED: Possible plant closures has Ohio county on edge

Michael Pell, president and chief executive of First State Bank in Winchester, Ohio, said he isn’t sure Adams County truly benefits from the proposed settlement.

DP&L has said it will close two Adams County power stations by June 2018.

“Adams County is still losing $9 million annually in property tax and 500 jobs — $35 million removed from our economy,” Pell said in an email. “The $2 million for education, training and development (proposed in the DP&L settlement) seems insignificant.”

A DP&L spokeswoman declined to make anyone available for interviews about the settlement. “There are several steps yet to go,” she said. PUCO is expected to decide whether to approve DP&L’s ESP by mid-year.

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