Apache Generating Station
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Apache Generating Station is an operating power station of at least 408-megawatts (MW) in Cochise, Arizona, United States with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Apache Generating Station | Cochise, Cochise, Arizona, United States | 32.061875, -109.894686 (exact)[1] |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- GT3, GT4, ST1, Unit 2, Unit 3: 32.061875, -109.894686
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GT3 | Mothballed[2] | fossil gas: natural gas[3] | 79[3] | gas turbine[3] | no[3] | 1975[3] | – |
| GT4 | Mothballed[2] | fossil gas: natural gas, fossil liquids: fuel oil[2] | 61[3] | gas turbine[3] | no[3] | 2002[3] | – |
| ST1 | Mothballed[2] | fossil gas: natural gas[3] | 82[3] | steam turbine[3] | no[3] | 1964[3] | – |
| Unit 2, timepoint 1 | Retired | coal: subbituminous | 204 | subcritical | no[3] | 1979 | 2018 |
| Unit 2, timepoint 2 | Operating[3] | fossil gas: natural gas[3] | 204[3] | steam turbine[3] | no[3] | 2018[4] | – |
| Unit 3 | Operating | coal: subbituminous | 204 | subcritical | – | 1979 | 2027 (planned) |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| GT3 | Arizona Electric Power Cooperative Inc [100%][2] | Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp [100.0%] |
| GT4 | Arizona Electric Power Cooperative Inc [100%][2] | Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp [100.0%] |
| ST1 | Arizona Electric Power Cooperative Inc [100%][2] | Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp [100.0%] |
| Unit 2, timepoint 1 | Arizona Electric Power Cooperative Inc [100%][2] | Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp [100.0%] |
| Unit 2, timepoint 2 | Arizona Electric Power Cooperative Inc [100%][2] | Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | Arizona Electric Power Cooperative Inc [100%][2] | Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp [100.0%] |
Unit-level fuel conversion details:
Unit 2: Converted from coal to fossil gas in 2018.
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): El Segundo mine, Lee Ranch mine
Background
The Arizona G&T Cooperatives website reports unit 2 of the power station switched to natural gas in 2017. The switch was to comply with EPA's regulation for regional haze.[5][6][7][8]
Units ST1, GT3, and GT4 are on standby/backup mode, available for service but not normally used.[9]
As of September 2024, the Arizona Electric Power Cooperative planned to stop using coal at Unit 3 by the end of 2027 and transition the unit to gas.[10]
Emissions Data
- 2006 CO2 Emissions: 3,713,481 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions:
- 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
- 2006 NOx Emissions:
- 2005 Mercury Emissions:
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Apache Station
In 2010, Abt Associates issued a study commissioned by the Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, quantifying the deaths and other health effects attributable to fine particle pollution from coal-fired power plants.[11] Fine particle pollution consists of a complex mixture of soot, heavy metals, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. Among these particles, the most dangerous are those less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which are so tiny that they can evade the lung's natural defenses, enter the bloodstream, and be transported to vital organs. Impacts are especially severe among the elderly, children, and those with respiratory disease. The study found that over 13,000 deaths and tens of thousands of cases of chronic bronchitis, acute bronchitis, asthma, congestive heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, dysrhythmia, ischemic heart disease, chronic lung disease, and pneumonia each year are attributable to fine particle pollution from U.S. coal plant emissions. These deaths and illnesses are major examples of coal's external costs, i.e. uncompensated harms inflicted upon the public at large. Low-income and minority populations are disproportionately impacted as well, due to the tendency of companies to avoid locating power plants upwind of affluent communities. To monetize the health impact of fine particle pollution from each coal plant, Abt assigned a value of $7,300,000 to each 2010 mortality, based on a range of government and private studies. Valuations of illnesses ranged from $52 for an asthma episode to $440,000 for a case of chronic bronchitis.[12]
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Apache Generating Station
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 4 | $30,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 6 | $690,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 77 | $4,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 3 | $68,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 3 | $1,200,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 4 | $1,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed March 2011
(Note: See "discussion" page.)
Waste Facilities
- Apache Generating Station Combustion Waste Disposal Facility Ash Pond 1
- Apache Generating Station Combustion Waste Disposal Facility Ash Pond 2
- Apache Generating Station Combustion Waste Disposal Facility Ash Pond 3
- Apache Generating Station Combustion Waste Disposal Facility Ash Pond 4
- Apache Generating Station Combustion Waste Disposal Facility Coal Pile Retention Basin
- Apache Generating Station Combustion Waste Disposal Facility Cooling Tower Blowdown Pond
- Apache Generating Station Combustion Waste Disposal Facility Evaporation 1
- Apache Generating Station Combustion Waste Disposal Facility Low Volume Wastewater Pond
- Apache Generating Station Combustion Waste Disposal Facility Scrubber Pond 1
- Apache Generating Station Combustion Waste Disposal Facility Scrubber Pond 2
Havana ranked 77th on list of most polluting power plants in terms of coal waste
In January 2009, Sue Sturgis of the Institute of Southern Studies compiled a list of the 100 most polluting coal plants in the United States in terms of coal combustion waste (CCW) stored in surface impoundments like the one involved in the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant coal ash spill.[13] The data came from the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) for 2006, the most recent year available.[14]
Apache Generating Station ranked number 77 on the list, with 360,465 pounds of coal combustion waste released to surface impoundments in 2006.[13]
"High Hazard" Surface Impoundments
Apache Generating Station has 7 coal ash surface impoundments on the EPA's official June 2009 list of Coal Combustion Residue (CCR) Surface Impoundments with High Hazard Potential Ratings. The rating applies to sites at which a dam failure would most likely cause loss of human life, but does not assess of the likelihood of such an event.[15]
(Note: see "discussion" page for AEPCO's response to the EPA dated March 26, 2009.)
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230509053328/https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/. Archived from the original on 09 May 2023.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 https://web.archive.org/web/20211122185052/https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/archive/xls/july_generator2021.xlsx. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 https://web.archive.org/web/20200612191408/https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/archive/xls/november_generator2019.xlsx. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20221212155253/http://www.azgt.coop/what-we-do/generation/. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Apache Generating Station," Arizona G&T Cooperatives website, accessed December 2018
- ↑ Jean Chemnick, "Pro-coal law set stage for Clean Power Plan pain in rural Ariz," E&E, July 7, 2015
- ↑ "Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory" eia.gov, 860m March 2020
- ↑ "Apache Generating Station". azgt.coop.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (based on Form EIA-860M as a supplement to Form EIA-860) - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ↑ “Federal grant could ring death knell for coal for rural Arizona power co-ops,” AZ Central, September 18, 2024
- ↑ "The Toll from Coal: An Updated Assessment of Death and Disease from America's Dirtiest Energy Source," Clean Air Task Force, September 2010.
- ↑ "Technical Support Document for the Powerplant Impact Estimator Software Tool," Prepared for the Clean Air Task Force by Abt Associates, July 2010
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Sue Sturgis, "Coal's ticking timebomb: Could disaster strike a coal ash dump near you?," Institute for Southern Studies, January 4, 2009.
- ↑ TRI Explorer, EPA, accessed January 2009.
- ↑ Coal waste
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
