Xcel Power mentioned the corporate’s coal-fired Harrington Producing Station in Amarillo, Texas ought to absolutely full its transition to burning pure gasoline in Might.
Harrington, whose three models have 1,018 MW of era capability, was Xcel’s first coal-fired energy plant in Texas. It got here on-line in 1976. The utility in 2020 made the choice to transform the plant to pure gasoline, calling it probably the most cost-effective strategy to meet federal authorities clear air requirements.
The facility plant a decade in the past was acknowledged with the Powder River Basin Coal Customers’ Group 2015 Plant of the Yr Award.
“Harrington Station has a five-decade historical past of offering low-cost, extremely dependable service to our Texas and New Mexico prospects, and we’re proud to re-power this nice asset and defend the roles inside our Xcel Power operations,” mentioned Bob Frenzel, Xcel Power chairman, president and CEO, on Jan. 31. “Producing energy with clear pure gasoline permits us to make use of a really versatile gas supply to offer vitality to a quickly rising buyer base.”
The Minneapolis, Minnesota-based vitality firm mentioned it checked out varied methods to cut back emissions of sulfur dioxide at Harrington, and decided a full conversion to pure gasoline was the best choice because of the age of the models. The utility mentioned the plant was initially designed to burn each coal and pure gasoline, which has “considerably” lowered the expense of the conversion. Xcel will proceed to make use of the prevailing boiler, steam generators, and electrical mills on the web site. Models 2 and three have been among the many first to make use of baghouses to seize particulate matter from coal combustion.
“Changing Harrington to pure gasoline not solely helps Potter County meet air high quality requirements, but in addition leverages present infrastructure to attenuate prices,” mentioned Adrian J. Rodriguez, president, Xcel Power— Texas, New Mexico. “We try to offer dependable and inexpensive electrical energy, and any financial savings from decrease gas prices might be handed on to our prospects.”
Knowledge from the U.S. Power Data Administration reveals 13 coal-fired energy crops, together with Harrington, nonetheless working in Texas. Seven coal-fired services, representing a complete of about 6 GW of era capability, have been decommissioned since 2018. At the least three different coal-fired crops are scheduled for retirement, or conversion to pure gasoline, within the subsequent few years.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
