Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin is asking the Tennessee Valley Authority not to close the remaining coal-fired unit at its Paradise electricity plant.
Bevin's office said the governor wrote to TVA CEO Bill Johnson on Friday, saying such a closure would be "devastating" to the state's economy and the regional and national energy grid reliability. Bevin's letter said the effects would be felt by employees who work there, people who live in Muhlenberg and surrounding counties and coal miners.
News outlets reported earlier that TVA is considering closing the plant's Unit 3, the only remaining coal unit at the facility, because it would require expensive upgrades to keep it going.
TVA serves more than 9 million people across its seven-state region. The TVA covers most of Tennessee and parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia.