Nuke Plants in Jeopardy Due to HB 6 Subsidy

In a remarkable turn of events, news reports indicate that Energy Harbor — the company that owns Ohio’s two nuclear plants — has asked lawmakers to repeal the subsidy provided by House Bill 6. Why? A federal rule blocks companies that receive state subsidies from being able to sell their energy on a market that’s designed to provide extra energy capacity, if needed.

It appears Energy Harbor now views the HB 6 subsidies as a costly liability, something the OMA pointed out as early as June 2019. Last weekend, amid reports that the legislature was seeking to make the subsidies optional, OMA energy technical consultants at RunnerStone LLC issued this memo describing why optionality won’t succeed. 12/23/2020