Dean Mitchell Generating Station
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Dean Mitchell Generating Station is a retired power station in Gary, Lake, Indiana, United States. It is also known as DH Mitchell power station.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Dean Mitchell Generating Station | Gary, Lake, Indiana, United States | 41.639, -87.4069 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 11, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6: 41.639, -87.4069
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 11 | retired | coal: bituminous | 128 | subcritical | 1970 | 2010 |
| Unit 4 | retired | coal: unknown | 138 | subcritical | 1956 | 2010 |
| Unit 5 | retired | coal: unknown | 128 | subcritical | 1959 | 2010 |
| Unit 6 | retired | coal: bituminous | 128 | subcritical | 1959 | 2010 |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 11 | Northern Indiana Public Service Co LLC [100%] | NiSource Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 4 | Northern Indiana Public Service Co LLC [100%] | NiSource Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 5 | Northern Indiana Public Service Co LLC [100%] | NiSource Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 6 | Northern Indiana Public Service Co LLC [100%] | NiSource Inc [100.0%] |
Background
The power station was retired in September 2010,[1] before a lawsuit determined the plant would be permanently shut down.[2]
Lawsuit
On January 13, 2011, the Obama administration brokered a settlement in which Northern Indiana Public Service Co. will permanently shut down the Dean Mitchell Generating Station, and spend $600 million to install and improve pollution controls at the company's three other aging electric generators - Schahfer Generating Station in Wheatfield, Bailly Generating Station in Chesterton, and the Michigan City Generating Station. The improvements will reduce smog- and soot-forming sulfur oxide by 46,000 tons a year and curb lung-damaging nitrogen oxide by 18,000 tons annually, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. NIPSCO faced legal troubles for upgrading the power plants to keep them operating while failing to install modern pollution controls required under the Clean Air Act's New Source Review provisions. The plants avoided the toughest provisions of the law for decades, in part because regulators assumed during the 1970s that they wouldn’t be running much longer.[2]
The settlement is the 17th negotiated by the EPA and the Justice Department since Obama took office, as part of a national campaign to reduce air pollution from the oldest existing coal plants, some of which date back to the 1940s. Most of the cases have involved utilities in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. NIPSCO also will pay a $3.5 million fine and spend another $9.5 million on environmental projects, including soot filters for old diesel engines, cleaner woodstoves and restoration of land next to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.[2]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ Form EIA-860 Data - Schedule 3, 'Generator Data' US EIA, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Michael Hawthorne, "Deal would clear up coal-plant pollution" Chicago tribune, Jan. 13, 2011.
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.
