Last week Ohio Legislature introduced Senate Bill 128 which would give both Davis-Besse and Perry nuclear power plants zero emission credits for their carbon free electricity generation. The program is set to last eight periods, that are each two years long. In order to qualify for the credits, it must be shown that if the plant closed, fine particulate levels, carbon dioxide emissions, and carbon monoxide levels would be negatively impacted. The bill also requires that the employment at facilities that receive the credits remain similar to the levels of those that were constructed before 1990.
Under the proposed Senate Bill 128 a “Zero Emission Nuclear Resource Program,” or ZEN, would be created. The ZEN would help to offset the losses incurred by competing against natural gas and add 5 percent to customer bills.
State Sen. John Eklund, R-Munson Township, is the primary sponsor of a bill that would raise an estimated $300 million in additional funds annually for the power plants.
FirstEnergy says the subsidies are needed to save the Davis-Besse and Perry plants that sit along Lake Erie and make 14 percent of the state’s electricity. The company has said both might be sold even if the subsidies are approved.