Rawhide Energy Station
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Rawhide Energy Station is an operating power station of at least 799-megawatts (MW) in Wellington, Larimer, Colorado, United States.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Rawhide Energy Station | Wellington, Larimer, Colorado, United States | 40.860042, -105.026917 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- A, B, C, D, F, Unit 1: 40.860042, -105.026917
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Operating[1] | fossil gas: natural gas[1] | 89[1] | gas turbine[1] | no[1] | 2002[1] | – |
| B | Operating[1] | fossil gas: natural gas[1] | 89[1] | gas turbine[1] | no[1] | 2002[1] | – |
| C | Operating[1] | fossil gas: natural gas[1] | 89[1] | gas turbine[1] | no[1] | 2002[1] | – |
| D | Operating[1] | fossil gas: natural gas[1] | 89[1] | gas turbine[1] | no[1] | 2004[1] | – |
| F | Operating[1] | fossil gas: natural gas[1] | 150[1] | gas turbine[1] | no[1] | 2008[1] | – |
| Unit 1 | Operating | coal: subbituminous | 293.6 | subcritical | – | 1984 | 2030 (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 | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| A | Platte River Power Authority [100%] | Platte River Power Authority [100.0%] |
| B | Platte River Power Authority [100%] | Platte River Power Authority [100.0%] |
| C | Platte River Power Authority [100%] | Platte River Power Authority [100.0%] |
| D | Platte River Power Authority [100%] | Platte River Power Authority [100.0%] |
| F | Platte River Power Authority [100%] | Platte River Power Authority [100.0%] |
| Unit 1 | Platte River Power Authority [100%] | Platte River Power Authority [100.0%] |
Retirement plans
On June 16, 2020, The Coloradoan reported that Platte River Power Authority has plans to shut down the Rawhide coal plant in 2030 instead of 2046, paving the way for coal-free electricity for its customers in Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont and Estes Park.[2]
In November 2020 the Air Quality Control Commission approved Colorado’s regional haze plan, requiring the power station to close by 2028.[3]
However, in December 2020, the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission voted to reverse the plan. The about-face followed objections from utilities and the Colorado Energy Office, which was coordinating Gov. Jared Polis’ efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.[4]
Emissions Data
- 2006 CO2 Emissions: 2,441,147 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions:
- 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
- 2006 NOx Emissions:
- 2005 Mercury Emissions:
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Rawhide Energy 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.[5] 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.[6]
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Rawhide Energy Station
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 3 | $22,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 5 | $500,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 56 | $3,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 2 | $49,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 2 | $880,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 3 | $1,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
Citizen groups
- Clean Energy Action
- Environment Colorado
- Rate Payers United of Colorado
- Sierra Club Rocky Mountain Chapter
- Wind Power Solutions
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 https://web.archive.org/web/20200612191408/https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/archive/xls/november_generator2019.xlsx. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Rawhide coal plant will close early as Fort Collins, other cities transition to renewables," coloradoan.com, June 16, 2020
- ↑ "Regional Haze Plan Calls for Earlier Retirement for Colorado Coal-Fired Power Plants," Earthjustice, November 20, 2020
- ↑ "Colorado Air Regulators Scrap Plans To Accelerate Coal Power Plant Retirements," CPR News, December 18, 2020
- ↑ "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.
