Mississippi Power on Friday added another month to the date it expects to have the Kemper energy facility operational on lignite, the Sun Herald reported.

The company also added $25 million to its estimate of the cost of the plant, which has been plagued by delays.

The operational date was pushed back from Nov. 30 to Dec. 31, Mississippi Power said.

The additional $25 million in costs will be paid by Mississippi Power and Southern Company – not Mississippi Power customer, Mississippi Power said.

The newspaper reported that the company determined that improvements were needed on one of the gasifier’s ash removal systems, which it said caused the need for the extension.

While gasifier A is undergoing maintenance, the company said gasifier B will be brought online for testing ahead of the production of electricity with syngas.