A coal-fired power plant in Spencer County is expected to be retired in less than a decade.
American Electric Power has agreed to retire Unit 1 of its Rockport plant by December 2028 and to install more effective pollution controls at the facility.
The Sierra Club says U.S. District Judge Edmund Sargus approved the modification to an earlier consent decree that involved air pollution violations at several AEP plants in the Midwest.
In addition to the plant retirement, the modified decree requires AEP install and operate enhanced dry sorbent injection technology on both Rockport units and meet new emission limits.
AEP is also requited to provide $3.5 million to support projects that will promote energy efficiency, distributed generation, and pollution reduction measures for nonprofits, governmental entities, low income residents, and possibly other entities.
An attorney for eleven citizens groups calls the agreement “a substantial step in the right direction, reducing emissions and ensuring the retirement of a significant source of pollution in Indiana.”