Walter Scott Jr. power station
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Walter Scott Jr. power station is an operating power station of at least 1648-megawatts (MW) in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie, Iowa, United States with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as Council Bluffs Energy Center.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Walter Scott Jr. power station | Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie, Iowa, United States | 41.181158, -95.837653 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4: 41.181158, -95.837653
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Retired | coal: subbituminous | 49 | subcritical | 1954 | 2015 |
| Unit 2 | Retired | coal: subbituminous | 81.6 | subcritical | 1958 | 2015 |
| Unit 3 | Operating | coal: subbituminous | 725.8 | subcritical | 1978 | – |
| Unit 4 | Operating | coal: subbituminous | 922.5 | supercritical | 2007 | – |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | MidAmerican Energy Co [100%] | Berkshire Hathaway Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | MidAmerican Energy Co [100%] | Berkshire Hathaway Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | unknown [9%]; Central Iowa Power Cooperative [11%]; MidAmerican Energy Co [79%] | Berkshire Hathaway Inc [79.1%]; Central Iowa Power Cooperative [11.5%]; unknown [9.4%] |
| Unit 4 | Central Iowa Power Cooperative [9%]; MidAmerican Energy Co [59%]; Lincoln Electric System [12%]; unknown [5%]; Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska [6%]; Corn Belt Power Cooperative [5%] | Berkshire Hathaway Inc [59.7%]; Lincoln Electric System [12.7%]; Central Iowa Power Cooperative [9.6%]; Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska [6.9%]; unknown [5.6%]; Touchstone Energy Cooperative Inc |
Financing
- Unit 3 : MidAmerican Energy 79.1%[1], Central Iowa Power Cooperative 11.5%[2], Ceder Falls Utilities 2.88%[3], Corn Belt Power Cooperative 3.58%[4], Atlantic Municipal Utilities 2.38%[5]
- Unit 4 : MidAmerican Energy 60.67%[1], Lincoln Electric Systems 12.66%[6], Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska 6.92% [7], Central Iowa Power Cooperative 9.55% [2], Ceder Falls Utilities 1.73%[3], Corn Belt Power Cooperative 4.88%[4]
Unit Retirements
According to a January 2013 agreement between MidAmerican Energy and the Sierra Club, boiler one and boiler two (49 MW and 82 MW respectively) will be retired by April 16, 2016.[8]
Units 1-2 were retired in 2015.[9]
Fines
In 2003, MidAmerican began building a fourth plant, Council Bluffs Energy Center Unit 4. Unit 4 began operating on June 1, 2007; Lincoln Electric System later acquired 12.6% ownership of the plant. In 2007, Plains Justice filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. The suit charged MidAmerican Energy with violating the Clean Air Act by operating new sources of carbon emissions without proper permits, and constructing these new sources without first obtaining approval from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. In June 2007, MidAmerican Energy agreed to pay $27,500 in fines after the attorney general’s office filed a lawsuit claiming MidAmerican Energy had operated “11 emission points” at the Walter Scott Jr. power station without proper permits from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Sierra Club is preparing to file a second lawsuit over emissions. [10][11]
Emissions from Berkshire Hathaway’s coal fleet
In January 2025, an analysis by Reuters found that Berkshire Hathaway’s fleet of twelve coal plants emitted more nitrogen oxides (NOx) than any other large corporate coal fleet in the US in 2023. The analysis was based on Environmental Protection Agency emissions data. Berkshire Hathaway has reportedly resisted the installation of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) scrubbers at its coal plants, lobbying regulators and filing lawsuits against adopting the pollution control technology. In a response to Reuters, the company described SCR scrubbers as “an expensive technology for our customers” and said it had reduced NOx emissions by closing old plants, but did not address the issue of health impacts caused by pollution from the units without SCR scrubbers.[12]
Emissions Data
- 2024 Gross Load (MWh): 7,001,675[13]
- 2024 SO2 Mass (short tons): 3,006[13]
- 2024 CO2 Mass (short tons): 6,991,122[13]
- 2024 NOx Mass (short tons): 4,430[13]
- 2023 Mercury emissions (Hg, lb): 21.81[14][15]
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Walter Scott Jr.
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.[16] 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.[17]
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Walter Scott Jr. power station
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 8 | $59,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 13 | $1,400,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 140 | $7,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 6 | $140,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 5 | $2,200,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 9 | $3,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed April 2011
Coal waste
A February 2025 analysis of coal ash dams found widespread groundwater contamination from coal ash waste at five MidAmerican coal plants in Iowa — Walter Scott Jr. power station, Ottumwa Generating Station, Louisa Generating Station, George Neal Station North, and George Neal Station South. The analysis was conducted by the Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic at Washington University and the Sierra Club. The plants disposed of coal ash in nine dams and six landfills, covering more than 700 acres (283 hectares). Data compiled by MidAmerican revealed high levels of toxic heavy metals and pollutants, including arsenic, radium, and lithium.[18][19]
Walter Scott Jr. ranked 35th 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.[20] The data came from the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) for 2006, the most recent year available.[21]
Walter Scott Jr. power station ranked number 35 on the list, with 1,092,320 pounds of coal combustion waste released to surface impoundments in 2006.[20]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Pacificorp 10-k 2019, page 143" bkenergy.com accessed June 17,2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "2017 Integrated Resource Plan, page 23" cipco.net, accessed June 2020.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Generation Portfolio" cfu.net, accessed June 2020
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Corn Belt Power Generating Sources" cbpower.coop , accessed June 2020
- ↑ "Electric Department" amu1.net, accessed June 2020.
- ↑ "Generation Resources" les.com, accessed June 2020.
- ↑ "MEAN financial Statement 2019-2020, page 7" nmppenergy.org, accessed June 17, 2020
- ↑ "Consent Decree between Sierra Club and MidAmerican Energy Company, US District Court, Southern District of Iowa, Case No. 13-CV-21," page 6
- ↑ "Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory" eia.gov, 860m March 2020
- ↑ "Stopping the Coal Rush", Sierra Club, accessed December 2007. (This is a Sierra Club list of new coal plant proposals.)
- ↑ “Tracking New Coal-Fired Power Plants,” National Energy Tech Lab, May 1, 2007, page 13. (Pdf)
- ↑ “Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway operates the dirtiest set of coal-fired power plants in the US,” Reuters, January 14, 2025
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 EIA (2024). "Clean Air Markets Program Data (CAMD)". Retrieved 2025-02-20.
- ↑ Clean Air and Power Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (February 2024). "Annual data 2022 vs. 2023". Retrieved 2025-03-04.
- ↑ Toxics Release Inventory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (October 2024). "2023 Basic Plus Data". Retrieved 2025-03-04.
- ↑ "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
- ↑ “Coal Ash Waste from MidAmerican Coal Plants Poses Immediate and Long-term Health Threat to Iowans,” Sierra Club, February 12, 2025
- ↑ Fact sheet on MidAmerican coal ash waste, Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic, Sierra Club, February 2025
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 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.
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
