Intermountain power station
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Intermountain power station is an operating power station of at least 1640-megawatts (MW) in Delta, Millard, Utah, 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Intermountain power station | Delta, Millard, Utah, United States | 39.51095, -112.580122 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- 3, 4, Unit 1, Unit 2: 39.51095, -112.580122
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Construction[1][2][3] | fossil gas: natural gas[4] | 420[2] | combined cycle[2] | yes[4] | 2025 (planned)[2][5][6][7] | – |
| 4 | Construction[1][2][3] | fossil gas: natural gas[4] | 420[2] | combined cycle[2] | yes[4] | 2025 (planned)[2][5][6][7] | – |
| Unit 1 | Operating | coal: bituminous | 820 | subcritical | – | 1986 | 2025 (planned) |
| Unit 2 | Operating | coal: bituminous | 820 | subcritical | – | 1987 | 2025 (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 | Operator | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Los Angeles Department of Water and Power[8] | Intermountain Power Agency [100%][6] | Intermountain Power Agency [100.0%] |
| 4 | Los Angeles Department of Water and Power[8] | Intermountain Power Agency [100%][6] | Intermountain Power Agency [100.0%] |
| Unit 1 | Los Angeles Department of Water and Power[8] | Intermountain Power Agency [100%][6] | Intermountain Power Agency [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Los Angeles Department of Water and Power[8] | Intermountain Power Agency [100%][6] | Intermountain Power Agency [100.0%] |
Plant retirement
The plant's two coal units were scheduled for retirement in 2025, as its Southern California municipality customer base have opted out of purchasing coal-fueled electricity when the contracts are up. In 2017 it was reported that the coal plant will be replaced with a 1,200 MW gas plant.[9]
In March 2024, the Republican governor of Utah signed into law a bill that aimed to keep Intermountain power station operating past its scheduled retirement in 2025. State Bill 161 outlines a process for the state of Utah to buy the power station and keep it online if Intermountain Power cannot sell the plant to another buyer.[10]
Gas-Fired Generation
Although an initial plan to construct and operate a 1,200 MW combined-cycle power plant was approved by the authorities, the maximum generating capacity was scaled back to 840 MW in May 2018 at a cost of $865 million. The EIA 860 database lists a scheduled closure for the coal plant and beginning of operations of the gas plant in July 2025.[11]
Each combined-cycle unit of the new plant will be equipped with a M501JAC gas turbine, a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and a steam turbine from Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS). The Intermountain power plant renewal project also includes upgrading and the replacement of switchyards and converter stations at the plant site and at Adelanto, laying a new gas pipeline and the decommissioning of existing equipment that will not be in use[12].
The project site is also proposed to be developed with hydrogen production, compressed air energy storage, and carbon capture and storage facilities. The use of salt domes present at the IPP project site is also being contemplated for energy storage. In a separate development, Japan’s Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) in collaboration with Magnum Development launched the 1GW-Advanced Clean Energy Storage (ACES) project adjacent to the IPP site in May 2019[12].
Construction of the new plant commenced in 2022, and it is expected to begin commercial operation in July 2025.[13]
Hydrogen
The new natural gas fired turbines would be the first of their kind capable of burning a mix of 70% natural gas and 30% "green" hydrogen (hydrogen released by the electrolysis of water, using renewably generated electricity) when the plant opens in 2025. The plan is to steadily increase the hydrogen percentage to 100% by 2045, which will require upgrading or replacement of the turbines to be able to handle greater percentages of hydrogen. One expert noted that using hydrogen to replace natural gas in power-plant turbines is currently theoretical and has never been done in practice, and a LADWP IPP official stated that the "economics remain to be seen" and "could be quite expensive."[14]
In December 2022, IPA anticipates a hydrogen supply and storage contract to be awarded. The plant intents to move forward with natural gas generating units which can burn 30% hydrogen in 2025 when they are slated to begin operations with the intention to transition to 100% hydrogen by 2045.[13]
Ownership
It is owned by the Intermountain Power Agency (IPA); the project manager and operating agent is the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; operation and maintenance is by the Intermountain Power Service Corporation (IPSC), and the Intermountain Power Agency.[15] Participants in the plant include 6 California Municipal Utilities, 23 Utah Municipal Utilities, 6 Utah Rural Electric Cooperatives, 1 Utah Investor Owned Utility, and 1 Nevada Electric Cooperative.
Emissions Data
- 2006 CO2 Emissions: 16,035,530 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions: 4,239 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
- 2006 NOx Emissions: 28,911 tons
- 2005 Mercury Emissions: 226 lb.
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Intermountain power 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.[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 Intermountain power station
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 7 | $50,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 10 | $1,200,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 160 | $8,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 5 | $110,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 5 | $2,200,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 6 | $2,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
Coal Waste Sites
- Intermountain Power Station Ash Water Recycle
- Intermountain Power Station Bottom Ash Pond
- Intermountain Power Station Evaporation Ponds
- Intermountain Power Station Land Fill Run-Off
- Intermountain Power Station Settling Basin
- Intermountain Power Station Wastewater Holding Basin
Intermountain ranked 82nd 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.[18] The data came from the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) for 2006, the most recent year available.[19]
Intermountain Power Station ranked number 82 on the list, with 333,589 pounds of coal combustion waste released to surface impoundments in 2006.[18]
Coal Supplies
Coal for the Intermountain Power Station is purchased from coal mines in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming through the LADWP coal business group, and delivered to the plant by the Union Pacific Railroad. In 2010, Intermountain Power Station Corporation (IPSC) announced plans to accommodate changes in coal purchases that will require trains of over 120 cars.[20]
LADWP 2010 Integrated Resource Plan
The 2010 Integrated Resource Plan of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LDWP), a strategic plan for the next 20 years, recommended that LADWP add 630 new megawatts of solar capacity by 2020 and 970 megawatts of solar capacity by 2030. The plan recommended 580 megawatts of new wind power by 2020. The plan designated that 40 percent of solar be in-basin. It recommended incentive programs, feed-in tariff schemes, and other mechanisms for promoting solar. The plan recommended ending purchases of power from the coal-fired Navajo Generating Station by 2014, which is four years ahead of the deadline established by Senate Bill (SB) 1368. The plan models the Intermountain Power Station through 2027 but recommends ending use of power from the Intermountain Power Station by 2020. The plan states that "LADWP is open to a mutually agreeable early compliance plan between the project participants that preserves the site and transmission for clean fossil and renewable generation."[21][22]
However, it was reported in December 2010 that DWP may not reach its renewable energy goals set by Mayor Villaraigosa due to a lack of funding. DWP executives warned that they would not be able to sustain that achievement, let alone reach future goals, without guaranteed funding from taxpayers.[23]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20221104135035/https://ipautah.com/ipp-renewed/. Archived from the original on 04 November 2022.
{{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 https://web.archive.org/web/20230918190319/https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/archive/xls/may_generator2023.xlsx. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240606042621/https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2024/02/29/legislature-approves-plan-keep-coal-plant-open/. Archived from the original on 06 June 2024.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 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) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/intermountain-power-plant-renewal/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 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) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240606042526/https://www.latimes.com/environment/why-los-angeles-building-hydrogen-plant-utah-123. Archived from the original on 06 June 2024.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20240606042647/https://www.power-eng.com/gas-turbines/mitsubishi-power-gas-turbines-delivered-to-intermountain-power-project-in-utah/. Archived from the original on 06 June 2024.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Amy Joi O'Donoghue, "Intermountain Power Project will shutter coal-fired power plant near Delta," Desert News Utah, May 23, 2017
- ↑ "Utah governor signs bill to keep large coal plant alive," E&E News, March 26, 2024
- ↑ "EIA 860 Database" EIA.gov, accessed June 22, 2023
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Intermountain Power Plant Renewal". NS Energy. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 13.0 13.1 "IPP Renewed – Intermountain Power Agency". www.ipautah.com. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
- ↑ Roth, Sammy (2019-12-11). "Los Angeles wants to build a hydrogen-fueled power plant. It's never been done before". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "About Us," Intermountain Power Service Corporatoin, accessed December 14, 2010
- ↑ "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
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 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.
- ↑ "Intermountain Railcar Sees Changes," IPSC Bulletin, 3rd Quarter 2010 Issue, accessed December 14, 2010
- ↑ "L.A.'s long-term electricity plan calls for earlier cutoff of coal, more solar," Solar Home & Business Journal, November 17, 2010
- ↑ Executive Summary, LADWP 2010 Integrated Resource Plan
- ↑ "DWP quietly scales back Villaraigosa's ambitious renewable energy goal" David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, December 6, 2010.
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.
