WILLIAMSON COUNTY (WSIL) -- If approved, dozens of employees could lose their jobs at a southern Illinois power plant.
The Southern Illinois Power Cooperative is now circulating a plan to shut down its coal-fired generator at Lake of Egypt.
A family member of an employee, who doesn't want to be identified, says they're disappointed in the plan to retire the coal-fired generator, known as Unit 4, at Lake of Egypt.
They explain, "You've got a pillar within a community, I mean you have an actual strong force in the community, a lot of these guys were sold a lie that if they got on there that they could retire from there."
They add, leaders at the plant hid the information of unit four closing, costing the jobs of 26 employees.Â
CEO Don Gulley says the main plant is expected to stay open and continue to run a small coal-fired unit and two natural gas units. Gulley says the plan is expected to save the company $125 million dollars.Â
He says, "It reached its conclusion in February. Currently, there is no formal discussion yet."
He adds their providing benefits to the employees impacted by the closure.Â
Gulley continues, "We put in place severance plans to help transition those employees as well as a volunteer early retirement plan for some."
For the families of employees, they feel let down at the worst time as unemployment is at its peak.Â
They add, "It makes me angry because these guys never had a shot. They never had a chance. There was no one were in their corner. There was no one there to fight for them."
Employees in Unit 4 are expected to work until the possible closure in October 2020.
A decision on could come as early as July.
