Columbus, OH—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected Buckeye Power’s coal-fired Cardinal Plant as one of six national projects to receive a share of $175 million in federal funding. Kyger Creek Station, which is part of the Ohio Valley Electric Corporation (OVEC), and partially owned by Buckeye Power, Inc., was also named as a recipient.
The DOE grant was established to modernize, retrofit and extend the operational life of coal-fired power plants serving rural communities while also supporting grid reliability and energy affordability.
The funds will be directed toward critical upgrades for Cardinal Plant’s Units 1 and 2.
The $175-million initiative is part of a broader federal strategy to strengthen the national electric grid by keeping reliable, existing, and efficient coal-fired generation plants online.
“We are grateful to be selected and excited for the opportunity to use these funds on projects that will make Cardinal station even more efficient," said Craig Grooms, President and CEO of Buckeye Power Inc., and Ohio’s Rural Electric Cooperatives. “Coal-fired power generation has served our cooperatives in Ohio well for decades and has allowed us to keep electricity reliable and affordable for our members. Cardinal Plant is a crucial component of our diverse power generation resource mix, and we continue to believe coal plants have a critical role to play in meeting growing, future demand for electricity.”
Buckeye Power, Inc. has not been notified how much of the $175 million it will receive.
Ohio legislators applauded the funding announcement.
"There has been a relentless effort to malign coal for years, devastating our communities in the process and putting the grid at risk," said Congressman Mike Rulli (OH-6), "I couldn’t be more proud of the work President Trump and his team are doing to revitalize coal, which has time and again proven to be a stable, reliable source of energy. I will continue working alongside Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives and Buckeye Power to ensure the Cardinal Plant remains a cornerstone of American energy independence."
Congressman Troy Balderson (OH-12) attended the White House event with President Trump as he announced the historic actions to revitalize America’s coal industry.
"As we saw during Winter Storm Fern, reliable and dispatchable power is critically important to the reliability of our grid and is something we cannot take for granted," said Balderson. "I applaud the Department of Energy’s announcement of funding for two power plants in Ohio, including Buckeye Power’s Cardinal Plant. This funding will help ensure Ohio can continue to meet our growing power demand while keeping energy costs affordable for Ohioans.”
