Dayton Power and Light Co. reached an agreement in principle with the Sierra Club to retire two coal plants, the environmental group announced Jan. 30.

In a separate settlement agreement filed with Ohio regulators, DP&L also committed to developing at least 300 MW of solar and wind generation in Ohio by 2022, as well as $35 million in smart grid investments, $565,000 per year in assistance for low-income customers and $2 million in job training assistance for communities impacted by the closure of the two plants.

Under the agreement with Sierra Club, AES Corp. subsidiary DP&L will retire the coal-fired 2,308-MW J.M. Stuart and the 600-MW Killen Station plants in June 2018. DP&L owns 67% of Killen and Dynegy Inc. owns the remaining 33%, according to SNL Energy data. DP&L owns 35% of the Stuart plant, according to SNL Energy data, with Dynegy owning a 39% share and American Electric Power Co. Inc. subsidiary AEP Generation Resources owning the remaining 26%.

"DP&L's coal plants are unable to compete against the cleaner, cheaper options demanded by customers to meet their energy needs. Today's announcement underscores the profound national trend away from coal, and it remains critical that we take care of the workers and the communities affected by these decisions," Dan Sawmiller, senior campaign representative for the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign in Ohio, said in the news release.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio must review and sign off on the agreement.