Layoffs planned at Brunner Island, other sites

A round of layoffs could reach Brunner Island workers, though the number of job cuts planned at that site is unclear.

Talen Energy notified the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers that it plans to lay off a total of 125 workers at Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Montour Power Plant and Brunner Island Steam Electric Station, according to union official Steve Knoebel.

Brunner Island, a coal-powered plant in York Haven, employs about 200 people, said Talen Energy spokesman Todd Martin. About 180 of those plant operators are in the electrical workers' union, Knoebel said.

Knoebel said he didn't know how many jobs would be cut at Brunner Island. Martin said Talen hasn't announced any specific layoffs.

"Talen Energy evaluates its staffing needs on an ongoing basis at all our facilities, including Montour and Brunner Island, to keep them as competitive as possible in light of the market challenges that all coal-fired plants are facing in the current market," Martin said in an email.

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Brunner Island is in the process of converting to a "cofire" power plant, which can burn both coal and natural gas. It's possible that the shift to the low-cost gas may lead to less staff at the plant, Knoebel said, though he emphasized that Talen didn't give him any specific information.

It's also possible that many of the cuts will occur at Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, a nuclear power plant in Luzerne County. Martin emphasized that nuclear power plants across the country are looking for ways to increase efficiency in a market deflated by cheap electricity prices.

"A prolonged period of low natural gas and power prices has accelerated the need to manage costs and optimize staffing, while recognizing a number of nuclear power plants around the country are being retired prematurely by their owners because they no longer are economically viable," Martin said.