KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Board of Public Utilities plans to shut down the two power generation units at its Quindaro Power Station by the end of 2019.
In a news release, the BPU cited a recently completed feasibility study showing the utility would be able to meet current and future needs without using the two units, which were both built more than 45 years ago.
BPU said the move will save the utility $10 million in annual expenses.
While the generation units will be taken offline, the physical infrastructure of the plant, including the building and cooling towers, will remain, a BPU spokesman said.
As part of an agreement with the Sierra Club back in the mid 2010s, the utility transitioned the two units from being coal-fired to powered by natural gas.
The two natural gas units were used just 3 percent of the time in 2018.
The BPU said the high cost to run the two units meant they were often not used to generate electricity in the marketplace.
The utility said operations at its Nearman Power Station will continue as normal, adding that no positions will be eliminated with the closing of the Quindaro units.
