Big Brown Power Plant
{{Infobox power station
| name = Big Brown Power Plant
| image =
| image_caption =
| country = United States
| location = Freestone County, near Fairfield, Texas
| coordinates = {{coord|31|49|14|N|96|03|22|W|region:US-TX_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| owner = Luminant
| status = D
| th_fuel_primary = Coal
| ps_cooling_source = Fairfield Lake
| ps_combined_cycle =
| ps_units_operational = 2
| ps_electrical_capacity = 1,150
| commissioned = Unit 1: 1971
Unit 2: 1972
| decommissioned = Units 1–2: February 12, 2018{{cite news|title=Wyoming coal customer closes in Texas as planned|url=http://trib.com/business/energy/wyoming-coal-customer-closes-in-texas-as-planned/article_72ab056a-0608-5f98-82db-81d8aa2ab918.html|last=Richards|first=Heather|newspaper=Casper Star-Tribune Online|date=February 12, 2018|accessdate=February 14, 2018}}
}}
Big Brown Power Plant was a 1.15-gigawatt (1,150 MW) coal power plant located northeast of Fairfield near Fairfield Lake State Park in Freestone County, Texas. It was operated by Vistra Corp's subsidiary, Luminant. The plant operated from 1971 to 2018.
History
Big Brown was constructed by Texas Utilities (now known as Luminant) and went into operation in 1971.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/coal-hard-facts/|title=Coal Hard Facts|last=Gwynne|first=S.G.|magazine=Texas Monthly|date=January 2007|accessdate=October 15, 2017}} It has two units.{{cite web|url=https://www.luminant.com/generation/big-brown-power-plant/|title=Big Brown Power Plant|publisher=Luminant|accessdate=October 15, 2017}}{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Big Brown Creek was impounded to form the plant's cooling source. The dam was completed in 1969 creating Fairfield Lake.{{cite web|title=Fairfield Lake (Trinity River Basin) |publisher=Texas Water Development Board |url=https://www.twdb.texas.gov/surfacewater/rivers/reservoirs/fairfield/index.asp|accessdate=February 14, 2018}} The power plant used lignite from the nearby Turlington Mine and later supplemented with coal from Peabody Energy's Rawhide Mine in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming.{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-17/america-s-miners-are-chasing-hotter-coals-as-old-plants-close|title=America's Miners Are Digging for Hotter Coals as Old Plants Shut|last1=Ockerman|first1=Emma|last2=Loh|first2=Tim|publisher=Bloomberg Markets|date=October 17, 2017|accessdate=November 3, 2017}} To improve the overall fuel mix and to reduce reliance on the nearby Turlington Mine whose lignite production was decreasing, coal from the Powder River Basin was blended into the fuel beginning in 2000.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.powermag.com/luminants-big-brown-plant-wins-for-continuous-improvement-and-safety-programs/|title=Luminant's Big Brown Plant wins for continuous improvement and safety programs|last=Peltier|first=Robert|magazine=Power Magazine|date=July 15, 2008|accessdate=October 15, 2017}} LO-NOx burners were installed in both boilers in 2001 to curtail nitrogen oxide ({{NOx}}) emissions. {{NOx}} emissions were reduced again in 2008 with selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) systems being retrofitted by Fluor to Big Brown's units.{{cite news|url=https://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/02/luminant-details-emissions-reduction-plan/|title=Luminant Details Emissions Reduction Plan|publisher=Environmental Leader|last=Nastu|first=Paul|date=February 19, 2008|accessdate=February 15, 2018}}{{cite news|url=http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2008/04/fluor-to-provide-air-quality-upgrades.html|title=Fluor to provide air quality upgrades|publisher=Power Engineering|date=April 17, 2008|accessdate=February 15, 2018}} The plant was temporarily idled in 2011 in order to overhaul its boilers.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/09/12/12greenwire-texas-utility-to-idle-boilers-coal-mines-in-re-68196.html|title=Texas Utility to Idle Boilers, Coal Mines in Response to New EPA Rule|last=Nelson|first=Gabriel|publisher=E&E Publishing|date=September 12, 2011|accessdate=October 15, 2017}} This was to fulfill the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Cross-State Air Pollution Rule to reduce its sulfur dioxide ({{chem|S|O|2}}) emissions. With the plant idling, Luminant halted lignite extraction at the nearby Turlington Mine until the plant resumed electricity generation.{{cite news|url=http://www.wacotrib.com/news/business/freestone-coal-mine-to-close-costing-about-jobs/article_8b617ac1-0370-5daf-9a06-0574c1487c0c.html|title=Freestone coal mine to close, costing about 200 jobs |last=Smith|first=J.B.|newspaper=Waco Tribune-Herald|date=September 13, 2011|accessdate=October 22, 2017}} Claiming lignite reserves were nearly exhausted at Turlington Mine, Luminant made plans in 2014 to close the mine by 2018 and rely solely on coal from the Powder River Basin.{{cite news|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/business/energy/2014/08/29/east-texas-coal-mine-closing|title=East Texas coal mine closing|last=Osborne|first=James|newspaper=The Dallas Morning News|date=August 29, 2014|accessdate=October 23, 2017}}
=Closure=
It was announced on October 13, 2017 that Luminant was to either shut down or sell to another concern Big Brown in early-2018 due to economic factors such as low natural gas prices and growth in renewable energy.{{cite web|url=https://hub.vistraenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Vistra-Energy-Sandow-Brown-Closure-News-Release-10-13-17-FINAL.pdf|title=Luminant to Close Two Texas Power Plants|last=Koenig|first=Allan|publisher=Luminant|date=October 13, 2017|accessdate=October 15, 2017|archive-date=October 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016121948/https://hub.vistraenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Vistra-Energy-Sandow-Brown-Closure-News-Release-10-13-17-FINAL.pdf|url-status=dead}} The following month, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) approved of the shut down.{{cite news|url=http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Layoffs-on-way-as-grid-operator-approves-coal-12372905.php|title=Layoffs on way as grid operator approves coal plant closures|last=Handy|first=Ryan Maye|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=November 20, 2017|accessdate=November 21, 2017}} ERCOT found the two-unit Big Brown plant was "not required to support ERCOT transmission system reliability", and authorized its closure by February 12, 2018.{{cite news|url=https://www.platts.com/latest-news/electric-power/houston/ercot-oks-vistras-plan-to-retire-2400-mw-coal-26834836|title=ERCOT OKs Vistra's plan to retire 2,400 MW coal capacity in Texas|last=Zhou|first=Jeff|publisher=Platts|date=November 6, 2017|accessdate=December 20, 2017}}
See also
{{Portal|Texas|Energy}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.luminant.com/generation/big-brown-power-plant/ Luminant page for Big Brown Power Plant]{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1971
Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1972
Category:Buildings and structures in Freestone County, Texas