Valmont Station

{{#badges: CoalSwarm|Climate change}} Valmont Station is a coal-fired power station owned and operated by Xcel Energy near Boulder, Colorado.

Citizen action against Valmont

July 14, 2009: Residents protest Valmont at public hearing, push for conversion

Xcel and the City of Boulder are in negotiations to renew Valmont Station's contract with the city. The agreement must be renewed every five years and is slated to expire in August 2010. Many Boulder residents are pushing for the plant to stop burning coal and either shut down entirely or convert to cleaner energy.

On July 14, 2009, the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission held a hearing to solicit public comment on renewing the plant's permit. More than 300 people turned out to oppose the plant at a rally before the meeting. About 50 people addressed the Commission, asking its members to deny the permit because the plant emits more than 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.

However, the Air Quality Control Commission disregarded the public comments in opposition to renewing the permit and gave the plant the go-ahead to continue its operations. The Commission ignored an Executive Order by Governor Bill Ritter to limit greenhouse gas emissions in the state.

November 18, 2009: Demonstrators protest Cherokee and Valmont Stations: Denver, CO

Protesters dressed as clowns visited Colorado Governor Ritter's office to urge him to "stop clowning around when it comes to confronting global warming." Environmental groups are opposed to Xcel Energy's request to renew expired permits at its Cherokee and Valmont Stations and want the state to pursue clean energy options instead. New research has shown that nitrogen oxide emissions are clouding lakes, changing lake biology, and threatening the aquatic life in the Colorado mountains.

April 27, 2010: 5 Arrested in Boulder Anti-coal Campaign

On April 27, 2010 five people were arrested by Boulder Police officers and Boulder County sheriff's deputies during a protest at the Valmont Station in Denver.

The five activists joined about 20 protesters from the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center who gathered around in the early afternoon protest against use of coal at the plant by Xcel Energy. Reported the Denver Post:

The environmental activists climbed atop a large coal pile in front of the plant, put up two mock wind turnbines and a large banner that read: "RENEWABLES NOW."

The protestors [sic] stood atop the coal pile for nearly two hours before authorities arrived, organizers said in a press release.

"Boulder is ready to move forward with 100 percent renewable electricity. If Xcel is not willing to partner with the city to make this happen, then Boulder officials and citizens need to take our energy future into our own hands," said protestor [sic] Tom Weis.

Plant Data

• Owner: Public Service Company of Colorado
• Parent Company: Xcel Energy
• Plant Nameplate Capacity: 192 MW (Megawatts)
• Units and In-Service Dates: 192 MW (1964)
• Location: 1800 63rd St., Boulder, CO 80301
• GPS Coordinates: 40.018889, -105.200833
• Coal Consumption:
• Coal Source:
• Number of Employees:

Emissions Data

• 2006 CO₂ Emissions: 1,464,298 tons
• 2006 SO₂ Emissions:
• 2006 SO₂ Emissions per MWh:
• 2006 NO_x Emissions:
• 2005 Mercury Emissions:

Articles and Resources

Sources

• Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, 2005, Energy Information Administration, accessed Jan. 2009.
• Environmental Integrity Project, "Dirty Kilowatts: America’s Most Polluting Power Plants", July 2007.
• Facility Registry System, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, accessed Jan. 2009.
• Carbon Monitoring for Action database, accessed Feb. 2009.

Related SourceWatch Articles

• Existing U.S. Coal Plants
• Coal plant conversion projects
• Colorado and coal
• Xcel Energy
• United States and coal
• Global warming

External Articles

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