Centralia Power Plant

Seventy percent of sub-bituminous coal used by the plant was delivered by truck from the nearby Centralia Coal Mine, which was a strip mine and the largest coal mine in the state of Washington, until it closed down on November 27, 2006.[4] Coal from the Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming has also been transported by rail to be burned at the plant since 1989, but was only used to supplement Centralia Coal mine coal until 2006. By 2008, the plant was burning 100% Powder River basin coal.[5] Recent rail upgrades to the Centralia Power Plant, and SO₂ scrubber upgrades to ensure plant releases less pollution, will ensure the plant runs for at least another 15–20 years. Centralia currently burns coal from about nine 110-car coal trains each week (i.e. 990 full coal cars).

Annually, this coal plant emits 350 pounds of mercury pollution, making it the state's largest single source of mercury pollution. Mercury pollution is a bio cumulative neurotoxin which causes brain damage in humans and is especially dangerous for children and pregnant or nursing mothers.[6][7] The plant also emits 7.5MMtCO2e, making up a large portion of Washington State's total CO2 emissions.[8]

All of the mining area is currently being reclaimed. When TransAlta bought the plant in 2000, it agreed to reduce emissions. It installed US $200 million worth of scrubbers on the plant, which were purchased from ABB Environmental Systems. Between 2010 and 2012, the Centralia Power Plant has been offline for an average of 4 months of each year. In March 2009, a proposed agreement between TransAlta and the Washington State Department of Ecology was announced, regarding a significant step forward in improving air quality in Washington. Key to the agreement is TransAlta's willingness to voluntarily reduce mercury emissions by at least 50 percent by 2012 to address air quality concerns in the region. Capture testing took place in 2009 and an activated injection product was selected. The process will cost US$20 to $30 million over the next several years. Additionally, continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS) for mercury measurement was certified by the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC). Currently, neither Washington State nor the U.S. federal government has regulations in place for mercury emission reductions. As part of the same agreement between TransAlta and the Washington Department of Ecology, TransAlta agreed to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide (NO_x) by 20 percent beginning in 2009. This is two to five years earlier than TransAlta would have been required to reduce NOx emissions if an agreement had not been reached with the Department of Ecology. In 2012, Selective Non Catalytic Reduction (SNCR) system was installed to further reduce NOx at a cost of almost $20M. It is in the commissioning and testing phase through 2014.[9] owner of Centralia plant and Washington State Ecology.

The design and construction of the new plant were by Stone & Webster and ABB Environmental Systems.[10]

From the early 1970s until 2000, the plant was owned by eight utilities: PacifiCorp (47.5%), Avista Energy (15%), Seattle City Light (8%), Snohomish County PUD (8%), Tacoma Power (8%), Puget Sound Energy (7%), Grays Harbor County PUD (4%), and Portland General Electric (2.5%).[11]

Plans to sell the plant began in 1998.[12] In 2000, Portland General Electric sold its 2.5 percent share to Avista Energy,[11] shortly before the plant was sold in its entirety to TransAlta Corporation for $554 million that same year.[13][14]

• Power Technology – Centralia Power Plant New CCGT Unit, WA, USA