Oklahoma Gas and Electric will go before the Oklahoma Corporation Commission again Monday to try to get approval for environmental upgrades at its coal-fired power plant in Red Rock.
The state's largest utility is running out of time to comply with new federal air quality standards.
OG&E’s Sooner Power Plant needs to have air scrubbers installed or be converted to natural gas by January 2019 to comply with the EPA’s Regional Haze Rule. But so far, regulators have twice rejected OG&E’s scrubber plan, which would keep the Sooner units running on coal at a cost of $500 million.
The new case before the Oklahoma Corporation Commission comes as even more pressure is being put on OG&E to switch the Sooner Plant to natural gas. Natural gas prices are low, and the industry trend is away from coal and toward cleaner forms of energy.
OG&E says it needs a decision from the commission by early May to get the scrubbers installed in time.
The hearing takes place at 1:30 p.m.
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