Atikokan Generating Station

Atikokan Generating Station is a biomass power plant owned by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) located 8 km (5 mi) north of Atikokan, Ontario (190 km (118 mi) west of Thunder Bay). The plant employs 90 people. The Atikokan Generating Station began operation as a coal fired station in 1985 and underwent an overhaul in the autumn of 2003.

Atikokan Generating Station
Country	Canada
Location	Atikokan, Ontario
Coordinates	48°50′17″N 91°34′15″W
Status	Operational
Commission date	1985 (1985) (coal-fired) 2014 (biomass-fired)
Owner(s)	Ontario Power Generation
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Wood biomass (2014)
Turbine technology	Steam turbine
Power generation
Nameplate capacity	205 MW

Until 2012, it had one coal fueled generating unit with low nitrogen oxide (NOx) burners, providing a peak output of 230 MW fuelled by low-sulfur lignite coal from the Ravenscrag Formation in Southern Saskatchewan.[1]

In late 2012, the facility powered down and underwent renovations, due to the Ontario government's initiative to eliminate all coal-fired electricity generation.[2] It is the first generating station to be converted by OPG to be fueled by biomass,[3] and is North America's largest purely biomass-fueled power plant.[4] The conversion came at a cost of C$200 million, and the plant was re-opened on 10 September 2014.[4][5][6]

Annual production at the plant is approximately 900 million kilowatt-hours (kWh), enough energy to supply approximately 70,000 households for one year. The station occupies an area of 300 ha (741 acres). The plant's chimney is 145 m (476 ft) tall, and the steam temperature is 538 °C (1,000 °F). This plant is connected to the provincial power grid via several 230,000-volt transmission lines.