first published week of: 06/20/2016
Associated Press
The board decided it was in the best financial interest of the utility and its customers to close the plant by the end of this year, the utility said in a statement after the vote. The plant sits on the Missouri River across from Iowa and is about 15 miles north of Omaha.
"This was a difficult vote and one we did not take lightly," said Mick Mines, the board's chairman. "The industry is changing, and it is imperative that we make strategic decisions to better position the district in the future for all our 365,000 customer-owners."
Among the factors cited in the decision to close the plant was the low price of natural gas, which makes it a cheaper way to generate electricity, and a federal energy plan that doesn't offer carbon-free generation credit for existing nuclear plants.
The utility said that as a result of the closure, it doesn't expect a general rate increase in the next five years, through 2021. continued…