North Valmy Station
{{#badges: CoalSwarm}} North Valmy Station is a 567.0-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power station owned and operated by Sierra Pacific Resources near Valmy, Nevada.
Contents
Location
Plant Data
- Owner: Idaho Power and NV Energy
- Parent Company: Berkshire Hathaway
- Plant Nameplate Capacity: 567.0 MW (Megawatts)
- Units and In-Service Dates: Unit 1: 277.2 MW (1981), Unit 2: 289.8 MW (1985)
- Location: Interstate 80 Exit 212, Valmy, NV 89438
- GPS Coordinates: 40.881128, -117.152320
- Technology: Subcritical
- Coal type: Sub-bituminous
- Coal Consumption:
- Coal Source: Black Butte/Leucite Hills Mine (Black Butte Coal), Skyline Complex Mine 3 (Wolvering Fuells LLC), Sufco Mine (Wolvering Fuells LLC) [1]
- Number of Employees:
- Unit Retirements: Both units are scheduled for retirement in December 2025.
Peak Energy Demand Production
As of 2017 the coal plant operates primarily to meet peak energy demand in the summer but remains idle through much of the year.[2][3]
Unit Retirements
Unit 1 is planned for retirement in 2019, and unit 2 in 2025.[4][5]
In february 2018 it was reported that unit 1 will not retire in 2019 but instead will continue to run untill 2025 and retire at the same moment as unit 2.[6] The EIA 2018 database confirms both closures in decemeber 2025.[7]
Emissions Data
- 2006 CO2 Emissions: 3,839,339 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions: 7,161 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
- 2006 NOx Emissions: 7,515 tons
- 2005 Mercury Emissions: 11 lb.
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from North Valmy Station
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.[8] 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.[9]
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from North Valmy Station
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 10 | $74,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 15 | $1,700,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 180 | $10,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 7 | $170,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 7 | $2,900,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 9 | $3,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
Articles and Resources
Sources
- ↑ "EIA 923 april 2019" EIA 923 2019.
- ↑ "Idaho Power intends to pursue closure of Valmy Unit 1 in 2019 and Unit 2 in 2025," Sierra Club, May 4, 2017
- ↑ Navajo Generating Station and Air Visibility Regulations: Alternatives and Impacts. HDR Engineering, Inc. (March 2012). Retrieved on November 19, 2012.
- ↑ "Clean Energy Advocates Celebrate Approval of NV Energy’s Plans to Retire North Valmy Coal Unit Early," Sierra Club, Dec 21, 2018
- ↑ "2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) Reference Sheet," Idaho Power, Sep 15, 2018
- ↑ https://www.utilitydive.com/news/nv-energy-proposes-operating-north-valmy-coal-plant-through-2025/517770/
- ↑ https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860/
- ↑ "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
- 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
- Nevada and coal
- Sierra Pacific Resources
- United States and coal
- Global warming
External Articles
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