Healy Power Plant
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Healy Power Plant is an operating power station of at least 50-megawatts (MW) in Healy, Alaska, United States.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Healy Power Plant | Healy, Alaska, United States | 63.854431, -148.94815 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Clean Coal Unit 2: 63.854431, -148.94815
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean Coal Unit 2 | operating | coal: subbituminous | 50 | subcritical | 2015 | – |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Clean Coal Unit 2 | Golden Valley Electric Association Inc [100%] | Golden Valley Electric Association Inc [100.0%] |
Background
The initial plant was 28 MW and began operating in 1967. A second 50 MW unit of $300 million was built in 1997. The new unit - known as Healy Unit 2 or the Healy Clean Coal Project - was part of a U.S. Department of Energy program to advance experimental coal-burning technology, but was plagued by safety and reliability problems during two years of sporadic use (1998-99). Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA) received permission from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2012 to restart the plant, and the utility acquired Healy Unit 2 the following year from the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority for about $44 million.[1] Healy Unit 2 began operating in May 2015, for the first time since 1999.[2]
Only two days after passing its commissioning test in March 2016, a “mill puff explosion” shut the plant down. As work crews began ramping the plant up to go online once more, a second mill puff explosion shut the plant down again in November 2016. The plant was determined to be in need of US$20 million in modifications. The plant is planned to be operational again in July 2018.[3] It returned to operation in September 2018.[4]
Retirement Plans
In June 2022, Golden Valley announced intentions to retire the plant by the end of 2024. The company planned to pursue the development of a large wind farm in its place. In addition, they would retrofit the smaller, 28 MW Unit 1 with pollution control equipment.[5]
In February 2024, Golden Valley Electric Association’s board of directors approved changes to the utility’s 2022 Strategic Generation Plan. Instead of retiring Unit 2 in 2024 as previously planned, Golden Valley would “[c]ontinue operating Healy Unit 2 until such time as alternative sources of reliable, lower cost energy are available.”[6]
Construction Financing for Healy 2
The construction of Healy 2 was financed by the Department Of Energy ($120 million), Alaska Legislature ($25 million), Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) ($150 million), and Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA) & Usibelli Coal Mine ($10 million plus in-kind contributions).[7]
Opposition to Healy Plant
In March 2010, anti-coal groups targeted Golden Valley Electric Association's plan to restart an inactive Healy Power Plant but would have to go into debt as a result. The GVEA Ratepayers Alliance stated in response that the "black hole" for energy customers' money and opposed the plant's reopening.[8]
Emissions Data
- CO2 Emissions: 297,372 tons (2006)
- SO2 Emissions: 470 tons (2002)
- SO2 Emissions per MWh: 4.28 lb/MWh
- NOx Emissions: 380 tons (2002)
- Mercury Emissions:
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "Healy Clean Coal Plant" Golden Valley Electric Association website, August 2009
- ↑ Jeff Richardson,"Healy power plant online for first time since 1999," News Miner, May 29, 2015
- ↑ Kevin Baird, "GVEA says Healy 2 power plant should be ready in 2018," News Miner, Sep 6, 2017
- ↑ "GVEA declares Healy 2 power plant operational," Alaska Public Media, September 14, 2018
- ↑ "Interior Alaska electric cooperative moves to shutter troubled coal plant and pursue construction of large wind farm," Anchorage Daily News, June 30, 2022
- ↑ “GVEA Board Votes to Modify Strategic Generation Plan,” Golden Valley Electric Association, February 27, 2024
- ↑ "Healy Unit 2 (HCCP)". GVEA. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
- ↑ "Anti-coal groups target Healy plant's debt" Associated Press, March 26, 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.
