The Kansas Supreme Court has reversed a state agency’s decision to issue a permit to construct a new coal-fired power plant in southwest Kansas.

Friday’s unanimous decision by the justices is a setback for Sunflower Electric Power Corp. in its plans to build a second plant near Holcomb.

The justices ruled that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment failed to account for new emission standards imposed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency that were in place at the time the permit was issued.

The ruling sends Sunflower’s permit request back to the KDHE to consider the stricter standards before granting the permit.

The case was brought by the Sierra Club and other environmental groups who claim the permitting process was flawed.