Edgewater Generating Station
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Edgewater Generating Station is an operating power station of at least 413-megawatts (MW) in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Edgewater Generating Station | Sheboygan, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, United States | 43.716161, -87.705894 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5: 43.716161, -87.705894
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 3 | retired | coal: subbituminous | 69 | subcritical | 1951 | 2015 |
| Unit 4 | retired | coal: subbituminous | 351 | subcritical | 1969 | 2018 |
| Unit 5 | operating | coal: subbituminous | 413.7 | subcritical | 1985 | 2028 (planned) |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 3 | Wisconsin Power and Light Co [100%] | Alliant Energy Corp [100.0%] |
| Unit 4 | Wisconsin Power and Light Co [68%]; Wisconsin Public Service Corp [31%] | Alliant Energy Corp [68.2%]; WEC Energy Group Inc [31.8%] |
| Unit 5 | Wisconsin Power and Light Co [100%] | Alliant Energy Corp [100.0%] |
Proposed Coal Retirement
In July 2012 Wisconsin Power & Light said it will shut down three aging, coal-fired electricity generating units by the end of 2015. Plans included:[1]
Close the 60-megawatt Edgewater Generating Station Unit 3 generator in Sheboygan;
Either close Edgewater Generating Station Unit 4 or convert it to burn natural gas by the end of 2018; and
Add scrubbers to Edgewater Generating Station Unit 5 to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions.
On April 22, 2013, WP&L settled air pollution violations with the EPA by agreeing to spend $1.2 billion to clean up coal-fired power plants and shut down older plants. The company agreed to stop burning coal at the Nelson Dewey Generating Station in Cassville and two of the three boilers at the Edgewater Generating Station in Sheboygan, retiring 590 megawatts of coal. The company will also add pollution controls to the Edgewater Generating Station and the Columbia Energy Center in Portage, co-owned by Madison Gas & Electric and Wisconsin Public Service.[2]
In May, 2020 Alliant Energy announced that unit 5, the last operating unit, will retire by the end of 2022. The company said it will expand investments in solar instead.[3][4]
In June 2022, Alliant Energy announced delays to coal plant retirements, which were caused by expected generation shortfalls. Edgewater Generating Station would not be retired until 2025, and Columbia Energy Center would not be retired until 2026.[5]
Proposed coal-to-gas conversion
In May 2024, Alliant Energy announced plans to convert coal Unit 5 at Edgewater Generating Station to gas in 2028, pending regulatory approval.[6][7] Local residents and health and climate advocates criticized the plan to delay shutting down the coal unit and replace it with gas, citing concerns about air pollution and its impact on human health.[8]
On December 9, 2009 We Energies, which owns a 25 percent stake in Edgewater Generating Station unit 5, announced it was looking to sell its share in the unit. We Energies cited the $38 million it is to contribute to the installation of scrubber technology, which would ultimately cost $150 million, as the main reason for its attempted sale. The remaining 75 percent of the unit is owned by Alliant Energy. We Energies does not believe the putting money into scrubbers technology is a wise investment. The Sierra Club's John Muir Chapter was vocal in pushing for equipment to be installed.[9][10]
On March 1, 2011, We Energies sold its stake in the plant's unit 5 for $38 million to Wisconsin Power & Light Company of Madison. WP&L already owns the remainder of the unit. We Energies sought to sell its stake in the plant because it said it made more sense for its customers to sell it rather than keep it and have to pay for a share of WP&L’s project to install environmental controls at the plant. Construction began in Fall 2010 on the environmental control project, which is expected to cost $150 million. The deal was originally scheduled to be completed by 2010, but regulators in Michigan said We Energies didn’t try hard enough to negotiate a good deal for customers. As a result, the Michigan Public Service Commission said the utility should be allowed to sell the plant only if the value of the deal for the utility’s Michigan customers was placed at $60 million. We Energies challenged the Michigan PSC ruling, defending its efforts to get a good deal for its customers and raising other legal concerns about the Michigan decision. That matter is still pending.[11]
Emissions Data
- 2006 CO2 Emissions: 5,103,545 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions: 15,759 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
- 2006 NOx Emissions: 5,002 tons
- 2005 Mercury Emissions: 212 lb.
Coal Waste Sites
- Edgewater Generating Station B Pond
- Edgewater Generating Station C Pond
- Edgewater Generating Station F Pond
- Edgewater Generating Station I43 Coal Combustion Landfill Contact Pond
- Edgewater Generating Station Slag Pond
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Edgewater Generating 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.[12] 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.[13]
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from the Edgewater Generating Station
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 44 | $320,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 71 | $7,700,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 740 | $38,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 33 | $760,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 27 | $12,000,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 45 | $16,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ Judy Newan, "Wisconsin Power & Light unveils $1.4 billion plan to clean up energy production," Wisconsin State Journal, July 27, 2012.
- ↑ Thomas Content, "EPA settles with Wisconsin utilities on coal plant air pollution: $1.2 billion will be spent to clean up power plants," Journal Sentinel through Web.archive , April 22, 2013.
- ↑ "Alliant Energy Announces Plans To Shutter Edgewater Coal Plant" wpr.org, May 22, 2020.
- ↑ Alliant Energy, "Alliant Energy to retire coal-fired generation facility in Sheboygan", Media Release, May 22, 2020.
- ↑ "Alliant, We Energies walk back Wisconsin coal retirement plans in light of MISO’s expected capacity shortfalls" Utility Dive, June 24, 2022
- ↑ “Alliant Energy takes next step in the company’s energy transition,” Alliant Energy, May 23, 2024
- ↑ “Alliant Energy plans to convert Sheboygan coal plant to natural gas in 2028,” Wisconsin Public Radio, May 24, 2024
- ↑ “Groups call for different plan for Sheboygan Power Plant,” Spectrum News 1, September 24, 2024
- ↑ Josh Lintereur We Energies to sell stake in Edgewater power plant, Sheboygan Press, December 9, 2009
- ↑ We Energies to sell stake in Edgewater power plant, Wisconsin Utility Regulation Report, March 12, 2009
- ↑ Thomas Content, "Madison utility buys out We Energies' stake in coal plant" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel trough web.archive, March 1, 2011.
- ↑ "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
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.
