FirstEnergy Corp. is studying natural gas pricing trends to determine if the company should convert its 1,710 MW Hatfields Ferry coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania to natural gas, according to Platts.
The low NOx burners at the plant’s three units are due to be replaced and the company is considering replacing them with technology that allows co-firing gas with coal, a spokesman was quoted as saying in the article. However, natural gas prices would reportedly need to stay between USD 2 and USD 3/Mcf for the conversion to remain economically favorable.
The plant is located near a gas pipeline, the article said. FirstEnergy expects to make a final decision in 2014.
It will cost USD 20M per unit to convert the plant’s three 570 MW-units to co-fire gas with coal, according to the article.