Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — The state Supreme Court has scheduled an April 15 hearing for oral arguments in Southwestern Electric Power Co.’s appeal of a ruling that took away its permit to build a coal-fired power plant in Southwest Arkansas.

SWEPCO has asked the high court to review a June ruling by the state Court of Appeals that the state Public Service Commission improperly approved a permit for the $1.6 billion, 600-megawatt John W. Turk Jr. Plant in Hempstead County.

The Court of Appeals ruled in favor of area landowners who challenged the permit. The court said the commission should have considered all issues related to the permit at one hearing instead of holding separate hearings on different issues.

The plant is currently under construction near Fulton. The state Pollution Control and Ecology Commission granted SWEPCO permission to continue construction pending the company’s appeal of the appeals court ruling.