Davis-Besse on list of most at-risk sites
State regulators approved a plan to help subsidize the Davis-Besse Plant in Ottawa County and other power plants across Ohio by having customers act like investors.
TOLEDO — “In this part of the country, FirstEnergy Corp. has vowed to stick by its aging Davis-Besse nuclear plant east of Toledo and its Perry plant east of Cleveland. DTE Energy likewise has no immediate plans to shut its Fermi 2 nuclear plant north of Monroe.
But Ohio and Michigan are among 13 states with deregulated electricity markets where nuclear plants have an especially hard time competing. Those with single units have even more difficulty, officials said.
A 2013 Vermont Law School report listed Davis-Besse as one of a dozen plants most likely to close early because of economics.
FirstEnergy’s proposed power-purchase agreement with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has been criticized by opponents as a bailout because it would guarantee cash flow to the energy company for eight years. The deal is gaining attention nationally, according to Joseph Dominguez, Exelon executive vice president, who also said more subsidies for nuclear power may be necessary.”
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