Whelan Energy Center
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Whelan Energy Center is an operating power station of at least 324-megawatts (MW) in Hastings, Adams, Nebraska, United States.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Whelan Energy Center | Hastings, Adams, Nebraska, United States | 40.5805861, -98.3112417 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1: 40.5805861, -98.3112417
- Unit 2: 40.580619, -98.310782
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | operating | coal: subbituminous | 76.3 | subcritical | 1981 |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal: subbituminous | 248 | subcritical | 2011 |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | City of Hastings (Nebraska) [100%] | City of Hastings (Nebraska) [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | City of Grand Island (Nebraska) [6%]; Heartland Energy [36%]; City of Hastings (Nebraska) [15%]; Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska [36%]; other [4%] | Heartland Energy [36.4%]; Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska [36.4%]; City of Hastings (Nebraska) [15.9%]; City of Grand Island (Nebraska) [6.8%]; other [4.6%] |
Background on Unit 2
The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality issued a PSD permit in 2004 to Hastings Utilities, allowing the addition of a 220-megawatt (MW) pulverized coal-fired power plant to Hastings Utilities’ existing Whelan I Energy Center. The Whelan Energy Center is located six miles outside of Hastings, Nebraska and consists of an existing 77 MW coal-fired electric generating unit.[1]
The proposed plant will burn coal from the Powder River Basin (PRB). In Oct. 2007, the construction contract was awarded to Babcock & Wilcox; the project was completed in 2011.[1]
In August 2008, the Sierra Club, represented by attorneys at Plains Justice, sent Hastings' Utilities a 60-day notice of intent to sue. The Club claims that Hastings is in violation of the Clean Air Act (CAA) by building the Whelan II plant without first evaluating technologies to control the emissions of hazardous air pollutants and setting limits for them.[2]
Emissions Data
- CO2 Emissions: 709,714 tons (2005)
- SO2 Emissions: 2,563 tons (2005)
- SO2 Emissions per MWh: 9.33 lb/MWh (2005)
- NOx Emissions: 1,103 tons (2005)
- Mercury Emissions:
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Whelan Energy Center
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.[3] 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.[4]
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Whelan Energy Center
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 2 | $13,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 3 | $290,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 30 | $2,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 1 | $30,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 1 | $480,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 2 | <$1,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “Barberton's Babcock & Wilcox to Build Nebraska Power Plant with Chinese Boiler, Scrubber", Cleveland.com, October 2, 2007.
- ↑ "Stopping the Coal Rush", Sierra Club, accessed November 2008. (This is a Sierra Club list of new coal plant proposals.)
- ↑ "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.
