Even as President Donald Trump brought relief to the coal industry, Luminant has announced it will close two coal-fueled power plants in Central Texas, resulting in the loss of over 600 jobs.

Milam County will take a recurrent hit after some years back losing its biggest employer with the shut down of the Alcoa aluminum plant at Rockdale with the loss of its two-unit Sandow Power plant.

Also to be closed is the two-unit Big Brown Power Plant in Freestone County, taking a total of 2,300 megawatts of power offline in early 2018.

Unless ERCOT rules that the power generation capacity is absolutely necessary for the state power grid’s health, the plants will close early in 2018.

Luminant’s announcement said the two plants were economically challenged in the competitive market in Texas, citing sustained low wholesale power prices, an oversupplied renewable generation market and low natural gas prices along with other factors.

Earlier in the week, luminant and Alcoa entered into a contract termination agreement, agreeing to an early settlement of a long-standing power and mining agreement.

Alcoa had curtailed its smelter operation next to Sandow.

Also closing will be the Three Oaks Mine, in nearby Bastrop County, which supplied fuel for the plant.

It was estimated that between the power plant and the mining operation, 450 employees would be affected.

With regard to the Big Brown plant, Luminant noted that operational changes to keep it viable under changing market conditions had already been underway, but despite the changes it did not appear economically feasible to keep running it.

Luminant estimated that about 200 employees would be affected by the Big Brown close.

The Turlington Mine, which supplies Big Brown had already been set to close down by the end of the year.