Holcomb Coal Powered Plant Project Abandoned

Sunflower Electric Power Corp. has abandoned its proposed coal-fired power plant in southwest Kansas after nearly 15 years of pushing for the project, handing a huge victory to environmentalists who opposed the plan from the start. The utility said in a news release Wednesday that it will allow the air permit for the Holcomb expansion project to expire on March 27. Sunflower Electric already operates one plant near Holcomb and had proposed building an adjacent $2.2 billion, 895-megawatt facility. Sunflower Electric and development partner, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, together invested more than $100 million in the now-abandoned project.