Nevada power plant to close after dispute

AP ^ | 12/30/5

[SmithL]

LAUGHLIN, Nev. - A large coal-fired power plant will close at the end of the year rather than violate a court-ordered deadline to install an estimated $1.1 billion in pollution-control measures.

Southern California Edison said Thursday the Mohave Generating Station, at the center of an environmental dispute several years ago, would close. The plant has provided the utility with 7 percent of its electricity, but the company said its 13 million customers would not be immediately affected because of other power sources.

Under a 1999 consent decree won by environmental groups, the aging Mohave plant was required to upgrade its pollution controls or close by Jan. 1, 2006.

The groups had argued the 1,580-megawatt plant, about 100 miles south of Las Vegas, had repeatedly violated the Clean Air Act, contributing to haze at the Grand Canyon.

The utility, the plant's majority owner and operator, had hoped to keep it open as natural gas prices have continued to rise.

In a filing Thursday with the California Public Utilities Commission, Edison said it planned to continue negotiations aimed at keeping the plant open but expected to close it for at least a few months. The environmental groups have said they would not agree to a deadline extension.

The plant is the only customer of the nearby Black Mesa mine, which provides about 160 jobs to members of the Navajo Nation. The mine, run by Peabody Energy Corp., will likely be forced to close.

"It was the environmental groups that helped bring this about - for altruistic reasons, of course - but the result is that a lot of breadwinners are going to be out of work," said George Hardeen, a spokesman for the Navajo Nation.

Environmentalists said they sympathized with the tribes, but argued Edison had plenty of time to fix the plant's pollution problems. Edison should invest in renewable energy sources on tribal land, which would benefit the people "who have been exploited all of these years by the greater metropolitan centers of the West," said Roger Clark, director of the Grand Canyon Trust's air and energy program.

[BipolarBob]

A 1600 MW coal plant burning low sulfur Western coal will consume about 54 tons of coal a minute (not hour). Think 80,000 tons of coal a day.

Where do these figures come from? I calculate 23 to 25 thousand ton/day.

[BipolarBob]

The plant's already been running for 34 years, so can't have too much of a life left in it.

What is your estimate of lifespan of a 1500 mw powerplant? Bear in mind boilers can be re-tubed, turbines rebuilt and auxillary equipment replaced. Longevity estimates are sometimes made for bond issues, regulators or other single issue bodies. These estimates may have no real basis.

[MARTIAL MONK]

It uses 13-14 thousand tons/day.

[Fury]

Environmentalists said they sympathized with the tribes, but argued Edison had plenty of time to fix the plant's pollution problems. Edison should invest in renewable energy sources on tribal land, which would benefit the people "who have been exploited all of these years by the greater metropolitan centers of the West," said Roger Clark, director of the Grand Canyon Trust's air and energy program.

Oh please, shut the hell up.

Renewable energy my arse. There's companies in my neck of the woods that are approaching landowners about installing wind turbines. You should hear the "outrage". "We support renewable energy, but...", "wind power is good, but...".

There's claims by groups that oppose wind power that the light flickers from the turbines can cause seizure in some people, that birds get killed in large numbers, etc. I asked by brother's girlfriend whose parents live ~2000' feet from a farm of nine wind turbines and she indicated that the noise is very low, they have very few (< 30 dead birds) in the ~5 years the turbines have been running, etc. Another person who lives down the road from this wind farm says they have experienced none of the problems that opponents of wind farms are claiming.

Sorry, but if people believe that most eco nuts support renewable energy, think again, at least based on the recent experience around these parts...

[BipolarBob]

It uses 13-14 thousand tons/day.

That is possible but it may not be running full load. Also I would need to know the btu value of the coal and the efficiency of the unit to make a realistic estimate of fuel usage.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

For decades, investor-owned utilities in the US were the envy of the world. Power companies could reliably project their future needs and build generation to meet this need when it arrived. Stockholders (for widows and orphans was how the stock was characterized) could expect steady but unflashy dividends and knowledgeable state utility commissions exercised oversight so things rarely got out of hand.
Then, in the early 1980s, utilities began to see other utility companies as the source of new growth. Utility executives voted themselves large quantities of stock, then sold out and cashed in when the company changed hands. Other utilities reinvented themselves as non-regulated holding companies with their utility interests relegated to almost sideline status. Minnesota Power sells used cars. The former Iowa Power and Light Company of Des Moines and Iowa Public Service of Sioux City are part of Warren Buffet's conglomerate. Four or five other Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa utilities are now headquartered in Madison, WI.
This is not a healthy trend.

[MARTIAL MONK]

There have been a LOT of meetings on this. I attended some. It is snagged in between Navajos vs Hopis, traditionalists vs progressives, state vs federal, etc. The only constant has been the eco-freaks.

Stakes in the operation have been sold recently so someone sees a future in the plant. It will shut down and that should have a focusing effect on a bunch of people. This baby is too big to let go. Las Vegas will lose 6% of their power but new gas plants are coming online. The big loser will be SoCal.

[Iris7]

Hi, Bob,

You are correct and I was in error.

1600 MW = 1,600,000 KW

1,600,000 Kw * 24 hrs./day = 38,000,000 Kw/hr/day)

38,000,000 Kw/hr/day * 3412 Btu/(Kw/hr) = 130,000,000,000 Btu/day

Western low sulfur coal about 11,000 Btu/lb at 33% efficiency is 3,600 output/11,000 input.

(130,000,000,000 Btu/day)/(3600 Btu/lb) = 36,000,000 lb./day

36,000,000 lb/day * ton/2000lb = 18,000 tons per day. 12.5 tons per minute.

Dang. Was working from memory using info I remember from a different plant. I must have confused pulverizer capacity with full load coal usage. I had better use a pencil, paper and calculator instead of just a calculator these days!

An excuse! An excuse! Quick, blame someone else! At least blame it on coefficient confusion!

Your 25% efficiency is likely more accurate than 33% since you seem to be working from coal to MW/hrs metered into the grid and I was using only coal to generator output.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

PRB coal is 8500 BTUs. Illinois Basin would be in the 11,000 range.

[Cvengr]

"Environmentalists said they sympathized with the tribes, but argued Edison had plenty of time to fix the plant's pollution problems. Edison should invest in renewable energy sources on tribal land, which would benefit the people "who have been exploited all of these years by the greater metropolitan centers of the West," said Roger Clark, director of the Grand Canyon Trust's air and energy program."

Typical 'environmental' solution to their perceived problem. Demolish all conventional infrastructure and build unsightly windmills and solar photovoltaic farms to occupy the entire landscape so no natural vistas remain in the desert. Won't the Grand Canyon look grand thouroughly dotted with supersized windmills, initial construction financed by government subsidies, without sufficient maintenance funds to demolish after they run for about 10 years and then are abandoned in place.

Look what they've done to Palm Springs.

[antiRepublicrat]

What is your estimate of lifespan of a 1500 mw powerplant?

Don't know. But the famous coal-fired Battersea Power Station's boiler 1 lasted 36 years, boiler 2 less than 30. In the end, it'll all boil down to the numbers, but with compliance costing more than the today's-value cost of the original plant with no increase in output, efficiency, or longevity of the actual power systems it doesn't look good to me.

[Hildy]

I'm happy...I see this monstrosity through my panoramic windows all the time. It's the biggest eyesore you've ever seen.

[Iris7]

Your first hand information of 13,000 - 14,000 tons/day makes sense. Mohave must have been base loaded since forever.

"Stakes in the operation have been sold recently so someone sees a future in the plant." Paragraph is interesting, and for sure southern California will get the short end.

That will get some political noise going! Excuses! Finger pointing! Politicians in high dudgeon! Evil Capitalists! Greed! Oppression of the weak! Self righteous "environmentalists"!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Where are these windmills ?

[Iris7]

Thanks, Eric. Should have been more careful.

My coal consumption estimate was wrong for more reason than overestimating HHV and so water consumption was also. Say 30,000,000 gallons per day, not 169,000,000, and 55,000 households not 375,000. A 10" pipe not a 24".

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I worked in the coal business before moving over into petroleum in 87. My family had a small coal mine, wash plant and marketing company. We bought coal from other small mines and washed and sold the coal. A Great Lakes coal sales company bought us out and I was introduced to all kinds of coal blending, burning equipment, specs, etc. Our specialty was 12,800-13,500 East KY/West VA coal off the Big Sandy. We railed this to ports in Ohio then put it on steamships for our dock network.
In 86, our company was bought by a major oil company and I got the job of selling all the resids a year later.

[operation clinton cleanup]

A large coal-fired power plant will close at the end of the year rather than violate a court-ordered deadline to install an estimated $1.1 billion in pollution-control measures.

geez, $1.1 billion could build a brand new plant... but the enviro-psychos would object to that to.

[MARTIAL MONK]

That monstrosity was built in 1970. You moved there when?

This is the panoramic view that you bought.

[Dog Gone]

Regardless, if costs more to bring into compliance than it's worth, it gets sold for scrap. The enviros win another one.