{"id":3330,"date":"2026-06-08T20:36:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T20:36:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3330"},"modified":"2026-06-08T20:36:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T20:36:34","slug":"trump-energy-department-orders-ouc-to-keep-running-coal-plant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3330","title":{"rendered":"Trump energy department orders OUC to keep running coal plant"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Plans by the Orlando Utilities Commission to shut down one of its coal-fired plants and rely more on solar power and natural gas facilities for electricity have been halted by the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

Read more No charges for Orlando cop in \u2018dancing\u2019 grandmother\u2019s death<\/a><\/p>\n

Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued an emergency order on Thursday that directs the municipal utility to ensure that one of its coal-fired units at the Stanton Energy Center remains available to operate, though OUC had slated the plant for an \u201cextended cold shutdown\u201d this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaking reliable generation off the grid compromises energy reliability,\u201d Wright said in a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Energy.<\/p>\n

The federal agency cited a report by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. that Florida is at a \u201cnormal risk\u201d as far as its long-term energy supply, but lags in producing enough energy to support new data centers in the state.<\/p>\n

OUC spokeswoman Michelle Lynch said Monday the utility will \u201cfully comply\u201d with the order.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to make sure it\u2019s available,\u201d Lynch said of Unit 1. \u201cWe can\u2019t put it into a cold shutdown yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

The unit is one of two coal-fired facilities at Stanton, located off South Alafaya Trail just north of State Road 528.<\/p>\n

The DOE order \u2014 issued through the Federal Powers Act \u2014 is in effect through Sept. 1. After that, the federal agency could re-issue the order.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

State Rep. Anna Eskamani, a candidate for Orlando mayor, blasted the DOE\u2019s decision and said it was released on the same day the Trump administration announced up to $850 million in federal money to upgrade or build new coal-fired plants across the country.\u00a0 A DOE press release Thursday claimed the administration has now \u201csaved or supported\u201d 45 coal plants around the country, \u201creversing the war on American coal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the Trump administration doesn\u2019t want to move us off of coal,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are spending public money to subsidize the dirtiest, costliest form of power we have \u2014 the exact thing we should be moving away from \u2014 while working families foot the bill.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that local governments and municipally-owned utilities should make their own decisions regarding power generation.<\/p>\n

Read more Toddlers\u2019 deaths at the hand of their father leave family shocked, grieving<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just so ironic that these small-government politicians continue practicing big government,\u201d Eskamani said.<\/p>\n

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As a fossil fuel, coal contributes to carbon pollution, which drives global warming, and leads to stronger hurricanes, rising sea levels and supercharged wildfires, according to scientists.<\/b><\/p>\n

OUC\u2019s goal is that by 2040 more than 90% of its electricity is generated by facilities that do not rely on fossil fuels like coal, according to its long-range plan.<\/p>\n

As part of that effort, the utility opened its large, 149-megawatt solar energy center east of St. Cloud on two separate sites \u2014 Harmony II and Storey Bend Solar \u2014 in April 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cOUC was moving away from coal in a methodical, responsible manner to get to more natural gas and ultimately solar,\u201d Orlando City Commissioner Roger Chapin said. \u201cThey were doing it in a responsible manner. And I think they should be allowed to continue to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

OUC plans to convert Unit 2 at Stanton it to cleaner-burning natural gas by the end of 2027, according to the utility\u2019s 2026 \u201cTen-Year Site Plan\u201d filing with the Florida Public Service Commission in April.<\/p>\n

OUC also said in the report that placing its 453-megawatt Unit 1 into \u201cextended cold shutdown\u201d would help meet the utility meet its \u201cprimary goal, reducing carbon dioxide emissions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coal-fired plants produce electricity by using coal ground into a fine powder and blowing into a boiler to combust. The intense heat boils water and the high-pressure steam drives turbines that generate electricity.<\/p>\n

OUC has about 288,000 electric and water customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cOUC was always the crown jewel of municipal electric companies, and I fear that outsiders, national groups or political groups are trying to take it over,\u201d Chapin said.<\/p>\n

Read more Strong earthquake in Gulf shakes up Florida<\/a><\/p>\n

Ryan Gillespie of the Sentinel staff contributed to this story.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Trump administration has told OUC to keep operating its coal-powered plant, which the utility had planned to put in an “extended cold shutdown” this month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3329,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"\nTrump energy department orders OUC to keep running coal plant - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=3330\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump energy department orders OUC to keep running coal plant - 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