Alma Station (power station)

Last updated
Alma Station
AlmaCoal.jpg
Alma Station in 2014
Alma Station (power station)
CountryUnited States
Location Alma, Wisconsin
Coordinates 44°18′30″N91°54′39″W / 44.30833°N 91.91083°W / 44.30833; -91.91083
StatusDecommissioned
Commission date 1947
Decommission date
  • Units 1–3: December 31, 2011
  • Units 4–5: Fall 2014
Owner(s)Dairyland Power Cooperative
Thermal power station
Primary fuel Coal from Utah and Wyoming
Turbine technology Steam turbine
Cooling source Mississippi River
Power generation
Nameplate capacity 214 megawatts
External links
Website www.dairynet.com/energy_resources/alma2.php

Alma Station was a baseload coal power station in Alma, Wisconsin. The plant was built and operated by Dairyland Power Cooperative. Upon the completion of the plant's construction in 1947, it was the largest cooperatively owned power station in the world. Alma Station was decommissioned in 2014.

Contents

History

Alma Station was a Dairyland Power Cooperative power station completed in 1947 in the city of Alma, Wisconsin. Construction on Alma Station began in 1946. Initially planned as a $4.5 million (equivalent to $67.53 million in 2022) project, the cost exceeded $5 million by the time of the plant's dedication in 1947. [1] [2] Construction of the plant was funded by the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), and a large amount of the land the plant would sit on was donated by the City of Alma. [1] Built as a baseload power station, the initial plant design had space for six coal-fired boilers. Two 15-megawatt (MW) boiler units were installed by the time the building was completed in October 1947, though the plant was supplying power before the facility was formally dedicated. [2] [3] Building the station led the City of Alma to construct additional housing and a new school for the families of the incoming workers. [4]

An additional 15-MW unit was installed in 1951, and a 54-MW unit installed in 1957. [5] Also in 1957, the Dairyland Power Cooperative received an $18.6 million (equivalent to $193.8 million in 2022) loan from the REA to expand the station and increase the number of boilers, adding an 80-megawatt generation unit as part of the expansion. At the time, the loan was the largest ever issued by the REA. [6] The new unit was put into service in January 1960. [5] At its peak, the plant produced 214 MW of electricity. [7]

In 1970, Wisconsin Attorney General Robert Warren sued the Dairyland Power Cooperative over the operation of Alma Station, saying the plant violated public nuisance laws due to air pollution from the burning coal and asked that pollution abatement equipment be installed at the plant. The Cooperative was dismissive of the claim, saying that Warren had picked their plant as a scapegoat to build interest in his re-election campaign and questioned why the only cooperatively owned power company in the state was chosen for the suit. Representatives for the Cooperative at the time said that a research study on pollution at the Alma plant was being finalized. [8]

Decommissioning of Alma Station Units 1-3 in 2011. The plant ceased operations entirely in 2014. [9] The plant's main building was demolished in 2017, and one of its two 700-foot tall smokestacks was demolished in 2018. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power station</span> Facility generating electric power

A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bankside Power Station</span> Former power station in Southwark, London

Bankside Power Station is a decommissioned electricity generating station located on the south bank of the River Thames, in the Bankside area of the Borough of Southwark, London. It generated electricity from 1891 to 1981. It was also used as a training base for electrical and mechanical student apprenticeships from all over the country. Since 2000 the building has been used to house the Tate Modern art museum and gallery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakeview Generating Station</span>

The Lakeview Generating Station was an Ontario Power Generation coal-burning power station located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, in the Lakeview neighbourhood on Lakeshore Road just east of Cawthra Road. The former station, constructed in 1958–1962, had four smokestacks known as the Four Sisters; the eight boilers of the generating plant all 'twinned' their emissions into common stacks. The station was a landmark for years and was shut down in April, 2005, after 43 years of service. The four stacks, which could be seen from as far away as Burlington to the west and downtown Toronto to the east, were demolished on June 12, 2006. The rest of the building was demolished on June 28, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrybridge power stations</span> Three coal-fired power stations in West Yorkshire, England

The Ferrybridge power stations were a series of three coal-fired power stations on the River Aire near Ferrybridge in West Yorkshire, England, in operation from 1927 to 2016 on a site next to the junction of the M62 and A1(M) motorways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William H. Zimmer Power Station</span>

The William H. Zimmer Power Station, located near Moscow, Ohio, was a 1.35-gigawatt coal power plant. Planned by Cincinnati Gas and Electric (CG&E), with Columbus & Southern Ohio Electric and Dayton Power & Light (DP&L) as its partners, it was originally intended to be a nuclear power plant. Although once estimated to be 97% complete, poor construction and quality assurance (QA) led to the plant being converted to coal-fired generation. The plant began operations in 1991. Today, the plant is owned and operated by Vistra Corp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conemaugh Generating Station</span>

The Conemaugh Generating Station is a 1,872 MW baseload coal-powered plant located on 1,750 acres (710 ha), across the Conemaugh River from New Florence in Western Pennsylvania. Track 3 of the Norfolk Southern Pittsburgh line runs next to the power plant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor</span> Decommissioned nuclear power plant near La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA

La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor (LACBWR) was a boiling water reactor (BWR) nuclear power plant located near La Crosse, Wisconsin in the small village of Genoa, in Vernon County, Wisconsin, approximately 17 miles south of La Crosse along the Mississippi River. It was located directly adjacent to the coal-fired Genoa Station #3. The site is owned and was operated by Dairyland Power Cooperative (Dairyland). Although the reactor has been demolished and decommissioned, spent nuclear fuel is still stored at the location.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coal power in the United States</span>

Coal generated about 19.5% of the electricity at utility-scale facilities in the United States in 2022, down from 38.6% in 2014 and 51% in 2001. In 2021, coal supplied 9.5 quadrillion British thermal units (2,800 TWh) of primary energy to electric power plants, which made up 90% of coal's contribution to U.S. energy supply. Utilities buy more than 90% of the coal consumed in the United States. There were over 200 coal powered units across the United States in 2022. Coal plants have been closing since the 2010s due to cheaper and cleaner natural gas and renewables. Due to measures such as scrubbers air pollution from the plants kills far fewer people nowadays, but deaths in 2020 from PM 2.5 have been estimated at 1600. Environmentalists say that political action is needed to close them faster, to also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the United States and better limit climate change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turceni Power Station</span>

The Turceni Power Station is situated in Gorj County, on the banks of the Jiu River, halfway between the cities of Craiova and Târgu Jiu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Creek Power Plant</span> Electrical power station in Oak Creek, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

Oak Creek Power Plant, also known as South Oak Creek, is a base load, coal- and natural gas-fired, electrical power station located on Lake Michigan in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Oak Creek Power Plant along with Elm Road Generation Station make up the entire Oak Creek Generating Site.

E. J. Stoneman Generating Station was an electrical power station located in Cassville in Grant County, Wisconsin. It was originally a coal fired facility for several decades and a biomass facility for 5 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgewater Generating Station</span> Coal power plant in Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Edgewater Generating Station is a 380 megawatt (MW) coal power plant located on the south side of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on the shore of Lake Michigan, whose waters are used to provide cooling. It provides electricity for customers in the northeastern part of Alliant Energy's Wisconsin Power & Light service area and service to several local municipal utilities. In 2009, it was the seventh largest generating station in Wisconsin, with a net summer capacity of 767 MW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Clair Power Plant</span> Power generation facility

The Saint Clair Power Plant was a major coal- and oil-fired power plant owned by DTE Electric, a subsidiary of DTE Energy. It was located in St. Clair County, Michigan, on the west bank of St. Clair River. The plant was across M-29 from the newer Belle River Power Plant in East China, Michigan. The first four units of St. Clair were built in 1953–1954. Since then, three more generating units were added to the plant. The St. Clair Power Plant generated 1982 megawatts in total. It was Detroit Edison's second largest power producer. The power plant has a large impact on the local economy, employing about 300 workers. The plant shut down in May 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taichung Power Plant</span> Power plant in Longjing, Taichung, Taiwan

The Taichung Power Plant is a coal-fired power plant in Longjing, Taichung, Taiwan (ROC). With an installed coal-fired generation capacity of 5,500 MW, it is the fourth largest coal-fired power station in the world. Together with its gas-fired and wind generation units, the total installed capacity of the plant is 5,824 MW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blyth Power Station</span> Thermal Power Station in England

Blyth Power Station refers to a pair of now demolished coal-fired power stations, which were located on the Northumberland coast in North East England. The two stations were built alongside each other on a site near Cambois in Northumberland, on the northern bank of the River Blyth, between its tidal estuary and the North Sea. The stations took their name from the town of Blyth on the opposite bank of the estuary. Blyth A Power Station was built and opened first but had a smaller generating capacity than its sister station, Blyth B Power Station, which was built to its west four years later. The power stations' four large chimneys were a landmark of the Northumberland skyline for over 40 years; the A Station's two chimneys each stood at 140 metres (460 ft); the B Station's two chimneys were taller, at 170 metres (560 ft) each.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardinal Power Plant</span> Coal power plant in Ohio, US

Cardinal Power Plant is a 1.8-gigawatt coal power plant located south of Brilliant, Ohio, in Jefferson County, Ohio. The power plant has three units. Cardinal is co-owned with Unit 1 owned by American Electric Power's (AEP) subsidiary, AEP Generation Resources. Units 2–3 are owned by Buckeye Power, a utility cooperative. It began operations in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conesville Power Plant</span> Coal power plant in Coshocton County, Ohio

Conesville Power Plant was a 2-gigwatt, coal power plant located east of Conesville, Ohio in Coshocton County, Ohio. Its units were co-owned at the time of its closing by American Electric Power (AEP) and AES Ohio Generation. All plant operations were handled by AEP. Conesville began operations in 1957 and ceased generation in April 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 "List Plans for laying cornerstone at 4 ½ million dollar power plant". La Crosse Tribune . November 10, 1946. Retrieved January 2, 2023 via Newspaperarchive.com.
  2. 1 2 "Dedicate huge plant at Alma". La Crosse Tribune. October 12, 1947. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  3. "Banquet opens Alma steam plant's dedication program". La Crosse Tribune. October 17, 1947. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  4. "Power plant has program". La Crosse Tribune. November 16, 1946. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Form EIA-860 detailed data with previous form data (EIA-860A/860B)". United States Energy Information Administration . 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  6. Holte, C. Gordon (October 31, 1976). "Christmas Eve 1923: Power to rural residents". Winona Daily News . Retrieved January 2, 2023 via Newspaperarchive.com.
  7. "Alma Site" (PDF). Dairyland Power Cooperative. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  8. "Claims Warren chose Alma plant as issue". Manitowoc Herald-Times . Associated Press. June 12, 1970. Retrieved January 2, 2023 via Newspaperarchive.com.
  9. Brommerich, Dan (October 27, 2016). "Dairyland Power to demolish old Alma power plant". Wisconsin State Journal . Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  10. Wendlandt, Ruth (October 1, 2018). "Dairyland's Alma Station stack demolished". WEAU . Retrieved January 2, 2023.