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Arizona Coal Plant ProposalsArizona currently receives approximately 40 percent of its electricity from coal-fired power plants, and plans are in place to build more. Here is a list of the current proposals. Follow the links to find out more about each proposal and what efforts are underway to oppose them:
1. Springerville 3-4Location: Springerville Company: Tucson Electric Power (TEP), Tri-State Type: Conventional pulverized coal plant Megawatts (MW): 760 Owner: Utility/COOP (link to info about merchant vs. utility vs. COOP) More information: In 2001, TEP’s parent company, Unisource, announced its expansion of Springerville Generating Station from two to four units. TEP had already obtained approval for the third unit, but was required to prove that the power that would be produced by the fourth unit was in demand by the customers. The Arizona Corporation Commission conducted hearings in 2001 and 2002 and determined that the power produced by both units was necessary. Western Resource Advocates (WRA) and the Grand Canyon Trust (GCT) filed a lawsuit against the decision, stating that there had been no demonstration of need for the fourth unit. The Maricopa County Superior Court ruled against WRA and GCT, and although the decision was appealed, the Superior Court’s decision was affirmed and the Arizona Supreme Court denied review in March 2005. The two units are expected to emit 6.7 million tons of carbon dioxide per year. Contact: Roger Clark with Grand Canyon Trust at rclark@grandcanyontrust.org or Diane Brown with Arizona PIRG at arizonapirg@aol.com 2. BowieLocation: Tucson Company: Southwestern Power Group (SWPG) Type: Integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) Megawatts (MW): 600 Owner: Merchant More information: The Bowie power plant was originally proposed by the Southwestern Power Group as a 1,000 MW natural gas facility, but due to high natural gas prices, it was later re-proposed as an IGCC facility, scheduled to open in 2012. While SWPG did receive a permit for the original natural gas plant, there are different regulations for coal and a new air permit will be required. Locally, concerns have been raised about water usage, air pollution and height of the 18 stacks, seven of them over 100 feet high. Contact: John Nielsen, Western Resource Advocates at jnielsen@westernresources.org |
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