Neil Simpson Power Plants
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Neil Simpson Power Plants is an operating power station of at least 90-megawatts (MW) in Wyodak, Campbell, Wyoming, United States.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Neil Simpson Power Plants | Wyodak, Campbell, Wyoming, United States | 44.287911, -105.383969 (exact)[1] |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Plant II: 44.287911, -105.383969
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant II, timepoint 1 | Operating | coal: subbituminous | 90 | subcritical | no[2] | 1995 |
| Plant II, timepoint 2 | Shelved[3][4][5] | fossil gas: natural gas[5] | 90[5] | steam turbine[2] | no[2] | –[5] |
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 | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Plant II, timepoint 1 | Black Hills Power Inc [100%][1] | Black Hills Corp [100.0%] |
| Plant II, timepoint 2 | Black Hills Power Inc [100%][1] | Black Hills Corp [100.0%] |
Unit-level fuel conversion details:
Plant II: Planned conversion from coal to fossil gas was shelved.
Background
The 21.7 MW Neil Simpson Power Plant I went online in 1959 and was retired in 2014. The 90 MW Neil Simpson II Plant went online in 1995.[6] In 2021, Black Hills announced conversion of the 90-MW coal-fired power plant to gas at the end of its original engineered life in 2025.[7] As of June 2023, the conversion plan was still in place according to the media. In addition to that, the company and its partners will conduct a feasibility analysis, including a conceptual design and estimate, for a semi-commercial scale hydrogen plant at Black Hills' Neil Simpson Complex.[8] As of June 2024, the hydrogen generation project at the power station is moving forward.[9] Thus, the previous coal-to-gas conversion plan is considered to be shelved.
Carbon Capture and Storage plans
In January 2024, the Wyoming Public Service Commission approved an application from Black Hills Energy for a 0.67% "low-carbon" surcharge on its 145,000 customers starting in February 2024. The surcharge would be applied under the provisions of a 2020 law requiring coal plants to be retrofitted with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology as an alternative to closing. Black Hills Energy reportedly expected CCS to cost US$475 million at the Neil Simpson II plant.[10]
In February 2024, the Wyoming Public Service Commission (PSC) said it would delay a decision on Black Hills Energy's request for a one-year extension to submit a CCS retrofit plan for its Neil Simpson Plant II and Wygen II power station. Black Hills Energy was originally required to file a plan in March 2024 for how it will meet the state's CCS mandate, which was set in 2020. The commission's deferred decision would allow sufficient time to consider possible changes to the CCS mandate, as lawmakers were seeking to push the retrofit compliance deadline from 2030 to 2033.[11]
In early March 2024, the Wyoming House of Representatives approved a bill that delays the CCS retrofit compliance deadline to 2033, and allows utilities to pass the costs onto electricity customers.[12]
Emissions Data
- CO2 Emissions: 939,879 tons (2006)
- SO2 Emissions: 1,792 tons (2002)
- SO2 Emissions per MWh: 4.50 lb/MWh
- NOx Emissions: 1,461 tons (2002)
- Mercury Emissions:
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Neil Simpson Power Plant
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.[13] 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.[14]
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Neil Simpson Power Plant
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 1 | $8,100,000 |
| Heart attacks | 2 | $180,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 20 | $1,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 1 | $18,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 1 | $310,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 1 | <$1,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
Citizen groups
- Powder River Basin Resource Council
- Sierra Club Wyoming Chapter
- Wyoming Conservation Voters
- Wyoming Conservation Voters Education Fund
- Wyoming Outdoor Council
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 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) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20220712171434/https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/xls/april_generator2022.xlsx. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/utilities-try-out-new-hydrogen-production-methods-tee-up-midstream-transport-75831990.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240403142554/https://www.powermag.com/hydrogen-production-project-moves-forward-at-wyoming-coal-plant/. Archived from the original on 03 April 2024.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20220826014831/https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/06/30/2256172/10381/en/Black-Hills-Corp-Electric-Utilities-File-Long-term-Integrated-Resource-Plan.html. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "EIA 860m March 2020" eia.gov, 860m database March 2020.
- ↑ "Black Hills Corp. Electric Utilities File Long-term Integrated Resource Plan". Black Hills Corporation. June 30, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Utilities try out new hydrogen production methods, tee up midstream transport". May 19, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Hydrogen Production Project Moves Forward at Wyoming Coal Plant". www.powermag.com. January 30, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Wyoming’s coal mandate continues to cost electric customers," Wyofile, January 24, 2024
- ↑ "Carbon capture reform advances as coal-plant owner says Wyoming’s existing mandate is unaffordable," Wyofile, February 23, 2024
- ↑ "Wyoming House OKs Bill Allowing Power Companies To Charge For Carbon Capture," Cowboy State Daily, March 4, 2024
- ↑ "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 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.
