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Monticello Steam Electric Station

The Monticello Steam Electric Station was a 1.88-gigawatt coal-fired power plant located southwest of Mount Pleasant, in Titus County, Texas, US from 1974 to 2018.

History

Monticello had three units. Unit 1 began operations in 1974, Unit 2 became operational in 1975, and Unit 3, became operational in 1978.[1] Originally, the plant produced electricity by burning lignite from nearby mines in Texas. Later the plant received rail shipments of coal solely from Peabody Energy's Rawhide Mine in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming.[2][3] The plant was cooled by Lake Monticello, which also offers fishing and recreational facilities. The plant was owned by Luminant, a division of Energy Future Holdings.[4] It was operated by Vistra Energy.[5]

Selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) systems were retrofitted by Fluor to Monticello's units in 2008.[6][7] This retrofit complimented the LO-NOx burners already installed at Monticello to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.[6] In November 2011, Luminant announced that, rather than retrofitting, they would permanently idle Units 1 and 2 to comply with the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Cross-State Air Pollution Rule.[8] With two units of the plant being idled, Luminant halted lignite extraction at nearby Sulphur Springs and Mount Pleasant Mines.[9] It later restarted the units in March 2014 due increased demand for power generation from the 2014 North American cold wave.[10] Luminant made the decision in 2014 that Monticello would rely on coal solely from the Powder River Basin beginning in 2016.[3]

Closure

Vistra announced in October 2017 that all three units would cease power generation in January 2018 due to advancements in renewable energy and a glut of natural gas depressing wholesale power prices.[5] The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) permitted the closure of Monticello at a hearing in November 2017.[11] The closure was scheduled for January 4, 2018.[5]

See also

  • List of power stations in Texas

External links

References

  1. Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, 2006 Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, 2006, retrieved 2008-07-14^
  2. How Texas Coal Plant Closure Affects Peabody Energy 24/7 Wall St., MarketWatch, October 13, 2017, retrieved November 3, 2017^
  3. Luminant closing mines, laying off 80 Longview News-Journal, February 29, 2016, retrieved October 23, 2017^
  4. Luminant (2010). "Monticello Power Plant and Mines."^
  5. James Osborne. Vistra closing mega coal plant in East Texas Houston Chronicle, October 6, 2017, retrieved October 6, 2017^
  6. Paul Nastu. Luminant Details Emissions Reduction Plan Environmental Leader, February 19, 2008, retrieved February 15, 2018^
  7. Fluor to provide air quality upgrades Power Engineering, April 17, 2008, retrieved February 15, 2018^
  8. David Campbell. An Update on the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule from David Campbell Luminant, November 18, 2011, retrieved October 16, 2017^
  9. J.B. Smith. Freestone coal mine to close, costing about 200 jobs Waco Tribune-Herald, September 13, 2011, retrieved October 22, 2017^
  10. James Osborne. Luminant to reopen 3 coal plants early The Dallas Morning News, February 2014, retrieved October 6, 2017^
  11. Jordan Blum. Texas letting one coal plant shutter, undecided on two others Houston Chronicle, November 1, 2017, retrieved November 1, 2017^