By Chloe Abbott

September 21, 2021 - SWEPCO and North American Coal have announced closures in 2023 that will effect about 256.

SWEPCO will close the Pirkey Power Plant in Harrison County, Texas and North American Coal will close the Sabine Mine. 

Pirkey Power Plant

SWEPCO has partnered with the Pirkey Transition Task Force to help employees who were laid off. 

Emily Rhodes with The Just Transition Fund explains that they are in Marshall and Hallsville throughout Harrison County to see exactly how the closures will impact the community and then they start to plan on how they can make a more diverse economy. 

SWEPCO's director of Communications, Carey Sullivan, said that the company is trying to find other jobs within SWEPCO to place employees from the Pirkey Power plant. They have also set up career fairs, voluntary resume reviews and career counseling. The company is also looking to identify the skills needed to get their employees hired else where, and what they can do to attract new jobs to the community.