Four Corners Generating Station
Four Corners Generating Station | |
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The Four Corners Generating Station is a 1,540 megawatt coal-fired
Description
The Four Corners Generating Station originally consisted of five generating units with a total rated generating capacity of about 2,040 megawatts. Units 1, 2, and 3 (permanently shut down in 2014 as part of a $182 million plan for Arizona Public Service Co. to meet environmental regulations)[3] had a combined generating capacity of 560 megawatts, while units 4 and 5 each have a generating capacity of 770 MW. Units 1, 2 and 3 opened in 1963–64 and units 4 and 5 opened in 1969–70.
The
The station is cooled using water from Morgan Lake, which is man-made and is replenished by about 28 million gallons of water each day from the
The Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) bought the mine from BHP, three mines in Montana and Wyoming, and 7% of Four Corners Generating Station. In 2020, Arizona Public Service announced plans to decommission the Four Corners Generating Station, leaving no prospect for the mine and the railroad.[4][5]
History
The Four Corners Generating Station was constructed on property that was leased from the Navajo Nation in a renegotiated agreement that will expire in 2041.[6] Unit 1 and unit 2 were completed in 1963, unit 3 was completed in 1964, unit 4 was completed in 1969, and unit 5 was completed in 1970.
Apparently the astronauts of the Mercury program reported that they could see two human-constructed things from space: one was the Great Wall of China and the other was the "plume streaming from Four Corners Power Plant."[7]
In 1975,
In November 2010, APS announced that it would purchase the SCE share of units 4 and 5, add air pollution control systems to these units, and shut down units 1, 2, and 3.[6] This transaction and shutdown were completed in 2013.[3] Following the shutdown of units 1 through 3, the capacity of Four Corners is 1,540 megawatts.
After a law suit by a coalition of environmental organizations, the plant owners and the plaintiffs reached a consent decree in 2015. According to the decree the plant will reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, pay $1.5 million in civil penalties and $6.7 million in healthcare and other mitigation costs for the people in the affected parts of the Navajo Nation. The law suit was based on pollution of Class I areas under the Clean Air Act in Grand Canyon National Park and 15 other areas of the National Park Service as well as hazardous conditions for health of neighbors of the plant.[10]
Decommissioning
In January 2020, Arizona Public Service announced it would be decommissioning the Four Corners Generating Station by the end of 2031, seven years ahead of the originally scheduled closure date of 2038.[5]
See also
References
- ^ "SRP: Four Corners Power Plant". www.srpnet.com. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
- ^ "Electricity Data Browser - Four Corners". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
- ^ a b Randazzo, Ryan (30 December 2013). "APS closes 3 units at 4 Corners power plant". The Republic – azcentral.com. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ Karl Cates and Seth Feaster (31 January 2020). "IEEFA U.S.: Navajo-owned energy company is in trouble". Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020.
- ^ a b Randazzo, Ryan. "APS will eliminate carbon emissions by 2050 and close coal plant ahead of schedule, CEO says". azcentral. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
- ^ a b "Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, Form 8-K, Current Report, Filing Date Nov 8, 2010". secdatabase.com. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ^ Needham, Andrew (2014). Power Lines: Phoenix and the Making of the Modern Southwest. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 180.
- ^ Arizona v. New Mexico, 425 U.S. 794 (1976).
- ^ Arizona Public Service Co. v. Snead, 441 U.S. 141 (1979).
- ^ National Park Traveler: Agreement Reached To Reduce Pollution Impacting National Parks In The Southwest , June 25, 2015