West Memphis council approves ordinance authorizing decommissioning of coal plants and intent to build natural-gas replacement

The West Memphis City Council on the evening of the meeting adopted Ordinance 2700, authorizing documents related to the city's ownership interests in the White Bluff and Independence steam electric stations, formalizing decommissioning steps for the coal-fired plants and placing a binding letter of intent for a combined-cycle natural-gas replacement generator on record.

Utility General Manager Bob Atkins told the council the ordinance implements a federal-court settlement and a package of nine decommissioning documents, plus a separate binding letter of intent for the replacement unit. "A settlement agreement that was filed in federal court ... those two steam stations will cease to burn coal," Atkins said, and described the replacement as a "much more efficient power plant" that will help the utility maintain low, stable rates.

Atkins said the plan includes the operators and owners who will participate in the new plant: the Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation, the cities of Jonesboro and Conway, the city of West Memphis and an existing Texas cooperative owner. He described the replacement facility as a combined-cycle natural-gas plant sited at the Independence location and said there is room on site for future additional generation and for potential solar reuse of decommissioned land.

Council members asked about schedule, siting and fuel supply. Atkins said the partners intend to begin generation from the new facility once the documents are signed by all interested parties; he gave the timeline for construction and turbine delivery as a multi-year process and cautioned that placing orders earlier helps control costs. "If you place an order now it'll take about five and a half years before you take delivery of that turbine," he said.

The council voted to adopt the ordinance and to approve the emergency clause; the clerk announced the ordinance number as 2700. The recorded proceedings show the ordinance passed after the council's roll call and the mayor confirmed the number after the tally.

What happens next: the ordinance authorizes staff to execute the listed agreements and decommissioning documents. Atkins said the plan will move forward once the documents are signed by the partner entities; the council did not specify final contract dates in the meeting record.

Authorities cited in the meeting for the ordinance are the set of decommissioning documents and the binding letter of intent presented by the utility (evidence in the council record). No statutory citations or external regulatory approvals were specified during the discussion.