Lafayette officials and their partners in a coal-fired electric generating plant northwest of Alexandria are considering extending its life beyond the scheduled 2027 closure date to increase reliability and possibly cash in on the increasing demand for electricity from data centers and artificial intelligence.
The Lafayette Public Power Authority, a component unit of Lafayette Consolidated Government created to generate, buy and sell electric power to the Lafayette Utilities System and others, is 50% owner of the Rodemacher II plant in Boyce. Cleco, the operator, owns 30% and the Louisiana Energy and Power Authority, which includes Lafayette and other cities, owns 20%.
The owners planned to retire Rodemacher II by the end of 2027 because federal environmental rules are tightening on the use of coal. Converting the plant to burn natural gas and to comply with Effluent Limit Guidelines for handling coal ash would be costly…