Big Rivers Electric will no longer run the City of Henderson’s coal-fire plant beginning in 2019. The Henderson-based generation and co-op has operated the Station Two plant since the facility opened in 1972, says Jennifer Keach, the co-op’s spokesperson.

Big Rivers Electric is seeking commission approval to establish a regulatory asset to defer contract-related expenses. The Rural Utilities Service has told Big Rivers that their request would be met with no objection.

Although Big Rivers and HMP&L have discussed the possibility of their termination, the city is left in a bit of a lurch.

HMP&L will spend the next couple of months evaluating its options. Those options include finding another operator for Station Two, purchasing wholesale power from the market, or retiring the plant next spring.

Keach said all of Big Rivers’ existing coal supply deals will expire before May 31, 2019 but will continue to own and operate the Wilson coal plants located in western Kentucky.