Cholla Power Plant
{{Short description|Coal power plant in Navajo County, Arizona}}
{{Infobox power station
|name = Cholla Power Plant
|image = Cholla power plant.jpg
|image_caption =
|country = United States
|location = Joseph City, Arizona
| coordinates = {{coord|34|56|25|N|110|18|01|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
|owner = Units 1–3: Arizona Public Service
Unit 4: PacifiCorp
|status = O
|th_fuel_primary = Subbituminous coal
|ps_cooling_source = Artificial Cholla Lake
|th_technology = Steam turbine
|ps_combined_cycle =
|ps_electrical_capacity= 1,021
|commissioned = Unit 1: 1962
Unit 2: 1978
Unit 3: 1980
Unit 4: 1981
|decommissioned = Unit 2: 2016
Unit 4: 2020
Units 1 & 3: 2025
}}
The Cholla Power Plant is a 1.02-gigawatt (1,021 MW), coal power plant near Joseph City, Arizona, United States. The plant is jointly owned by Arizona Public Service (APS) and PacifiCorp. The plant began operations in 1962.
History
The coal burned at the plant came mostly from the McKinley Mine, located east of Window Rock, Arizona in New Mexico, until the mine was closed in 2009 after its reserves being leased were exhausted.{{cite news|url=https://www.navajotimes.com/business/2009/0909/092409mine.php|title=McKinley Mine to cease operations in December|last=Donovan|first=Bill|newspaper=Navajo Times|date=September 24, 2009|accessdate=April 3, 2019|archive-date=January 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126172515/http://www.navajotimes.com/business/2009/0909/092409mine.php|url-status=dead}} In 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notified Cholla that pollution controls were needed for Units 2 through 4.{{cite news|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/2014/10/13/plan-emerges-fourth-unit-cholla-power-plant/17196191/|title=Plan emerges for fourth unit at Cholla Power Plant|last=Randazzo|first=Ryan|newspaper=Arizona Republic|date=October 13, 2014|accessdate=April 3, 2019}} Unit 2 was retired in 2016 as the cost to add pollution controls outweighed the benefits. The remaining units were to be either retired or converted to burn another fuel source by 2025.{{cite news|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/energy/2019/04/02/arizona-public-service-co-cholla-power-plant-could-convert-coal-burning-trees-from-forest-thinning/3293530002/|title=APS will try to switch coal power plant to burn wood from forest thinning, possibly cutting wildfire risk|last=Randazzo|first=Ryan|newspaper=Arizona Republic|date=April 2, 2019|accessdate=April 3, 2019}} In January 2020, it was announced that PacifiCorp would close unit 4 by the end of the year. APS announced that while a conversion to natural gas had been an option, it was no longer being considered. A proposal was put forth to convert a unit to burn biomass, however regulators at the Arizona Corporation Commission voted down that plan in 2019.{{cite news|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/energy/2020/01/07/pacificorp-close-generator-cholla-power-plant-northern-arizona/2829342001/|title=Arizona coal generator to close in 2020, while another given lifeline as decline of plants across West continues|last=Randazzo|first=Ryan|newspaper=Arizona Republic|date=January 7, 2020|accessdate=January 9, 2020}}
In March 2025, APS retired the remaining two units at Cholla.{{cite news|date=April 10, 2025|title=Trump signs executive orders to save Arizona’s 1st coal-burning power plant from shutdown|last=Pietrorazio|first=Gabriel|url=https://www.kjzz.org/tribal-natural-resources/2025-04-10/trump-signs-executive-orders-to-save-arizonas-1st-coal-burning-power-plant-from-shutdown|access-date=May 5, 2025|website=KJZZ|language=en}} Even though an executive order by the Trump Administration was signed to prevent further closures of coal plants the following month, including Cholla by name, APS evaluated and kept the plant shuttered.{{Cite news |date=April 9, 2025 |title=Trump's executive order to boost coal will keep Navajo County power plant open|last1=Burkitt|first1=Bree|last2=Skabelund|first2=Adrian|
url=https://www.knau.org/knau-and-arizona-news/2025-04-09/trumps-executive-order-to-boost-coal-will-keep-navajo-county-power-plant-open |access-date=May 5, 2025 |website=KNAU Arizona Public Radio |language=en}}{{cite news|date=April 27, 2025|title=APS to Keep Cholla Plant Closed Despite Trump Order Backing Coal|last=Goodman|first=Elaine|url=https://www.rtoinsider.com/103889-aps-to-keep-cholla-plant-closed-despite-trump-order-backing-coal/|access-date=May 5, 2025|website=RTO Insider|language=en}} The plant would've required $2 billion in investment to bring the facility back online according to a state regulator.{{cite news|date=June 2, 2025|title=Trump wants to reopen Arizona coal power plant. A regulator says that would cost $2 billion|last=Schutsky|first=Wayne|url=https://www.kjzz.org/business/2025-06-02/trump-wants-to-reopen-arizona-coal-power-plant-a-regulator-says-that-would-cost-2-billion|access-date=June 15, 2025|website=KJZZ|language=en}}
Units
The plant currently consists of the following units:{{cite web
| title = Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, 2006
| work =
| publisher = Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy
| year = 2006
| url = http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/capacity/capacity.html
| format = Excel
| doi =
| accessdate = 2008-07-14}}
| class="wikitable" |
| Unit
!Nameplate capacity (MWe) !Commissioning !Notes |
|---|
| 1
|113.6 |1962 |Retired in March 2025 |
| 2
|288.9 |1978 |Retired April 2016 |
| 3
|312.3 |1980 |Retired in March 2025 |
| 4
|414 |1981 |Retired December 24th, 2020{{cite news |last1=Parsons |first1=L |title=Cholla’s PacifiCorp Unit 4 goes offline – The Tribune |url=https://tribunenewsnow.com/chollas-pacificorp-unit-4-goes-offline/ |access-date=14 February 2023 |publisher=The Tribune |date=1 January 2021}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Cholla Power Plant}}
- APS [http://www.aps.com/en/ourcompany/generationtransmission/generation/Pages/home.aspx]
- [https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/plant/113 Data on generation and fuel consumption] from the Energy Information Administration Electricity Data Browser
{{Generating stations in Arizona}}
Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1962
Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1978
Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1980
Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1981
Category:Buildings and structures in Navajo County, Arizona