A California company is planning to close an electricity generating facility in Binghamton less than three years after the plant was put back on line.

The 47.7 megawatt unit at 22 Charles Street in the city's First Ward was acquired in 2012 by Wellhead Electric Company, which is based in Sacramento.

The owner notified the New York State Public Service Commission in September of its intention to discontinue operations and retire the plant.

News of the planned closure was first reported Tuesday by pressconnects.com.

New equipment was brought to the power plant after Wellhead decided to reactivate the facility. The first test run was conducted on December 18, 2014. The plant began generating electricity the following month.

At the time, Wellhead officials said about six people would be employed at the site, which was expected to operate for up to 3,000 hours a year.

Low natural gas prices at the time were cited as a significant factor in the decision to restart the plant.

Sources familiar with Wellhead's plans at the time said the company intended to get the facility back into operation and sell the operation. Efforts to attract a buyer apparently have been unsuccessful.

Wellhead Electric Company representatives were not available Tuesday to discuss the decision to close the Binghamton plant.

The generating facility had been built to provide energy for the Anitec manufacturing site.

Steam rises from the 199-foot-tall stack at the Charles Street power plant on January 6, 2015. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
Steam rises from the 199-foot-tall stack at the Charles Street power plant on January 6, 2015. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)
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