Reid Gardner Generating Station
{{Short description|Coal fired plant in Nevada, US}}
Reid Gardner Generating Station was a 557 megawatt coal fired plant on {{convert|480|acre}}{{cite web |url=http://ndep.nv.gov/bca/reid_gardner.htm |title=NV Energy — Reid Gardner Power Station |author= |date= |publisher= Nevada Department of Environmental Protection |accessdate=November 3, 2012}} located near Moapa, Nevada. It was named after former president of Southern Nevada Power Company (renamed Nevada Power Company in 1961), Reid Gardner.{{Cite web |title=NV Energy Company History |url=https://www.nvenergy.com/about-nvenergy/our-company/history |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=www.nvenergy.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=March 17, 2025 |title=Reid Gardner Generating Station |url=https://utahrails.net/utahcoal/reid-gardner.php |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=utahrails.net}} The plant was co-owned by current Nevada Power successor company, NV Energy (69%) and the California Department of Water Resources (31%).{{Cite web |last=POWER |date=2015-09-01 |title=NV Energy: Warren Buffett’s Plan for a Structural Power Shift |url=https://www.powermag.com/nv-energy-warren-buffetts-plan-for-a-structural-power-shift-2/ |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=POWER Magazine |language=en-US}} It consisted of four units. The first three were 100 MW units and were placed into service in 1965, 1968 and 1976 respectively. The fourth unit, placed into service in 1983, produced {{convert|257|MW}}.{{cite web |url=https://www.nvenergy.com/company/energytopics/images/Reid_Gardner_Fact_Sheet.pdf |title=Reid Gardner Generating Station |author= |date= |publisher= |accessdate=November 3, 2012}}
Three units of Reid Gardner were shut down in December, 2014; the fourth was shuttered in March 2017.{{cite web|title=Reid Gardner Station|url= http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Reid_Gardner_Station#cite_note-1 |website=SourceWatch|publisher=The Center for Media and Democracy|accessdate=21 June 2016}}{{cite web|title=Our Power Supply|url= https://www.nvenergy.com/company/energytopics/where.cfm |publisher=NV Energy|accessdate=21 June 2016}}{{cite web|url= http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nv-energy-takes-final-unit-of-reid-gardner-generating-station-offline-300425227.html |title=NV Energy Takes Final Unit of Reid Gardner Generating Station Offline|publisher=NV Energy |date= March 16, 2017|accessdate= March 23, 2017}} The demolition of the plant occurred in 2019 and was considered complete as of July, 2020.{{Cite web |title=Reid Gardner Power Station {{!}} NDEP |url=https://ndep.nv.gov/environmental-cleanup/site-cleanup-program/reid-gardner-power-station |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=ndep.nv.gov}}
Approximately 6 acres of the site have since been redeveloped into the 220MW/440MWh Reid Gardner Battery Energy Storage System.{{Cite web |last=Progress |first=Mesa Valleys |date=2023-07-05 |title=New Energy Use Proposed For Reid Gardner Site |url=https://mvprogress.com/2023/07/04/new-energy-use-proposed-for-reid-gardner-site/ |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=The Progress |language=en-US}} The new facility is a battery energy storage system (BESS) utilizing lithium-ion batteries manufactured by BYD{{Cite web |date=September 30, 2024 |title=Nevada Power Company D/B/A NV Energy, General Rate Case, Volume 7 of 19 Testimony |url=https://www.nvenergy.com/publish/content/dam/nvenergy/brochures_arch/about-nvenergy/rates-regulatory/recent-regulatory-filings/south/grc/NPC-Volume-7.pdf |access-date=March 19, 2025}} Official ribbon cutting for the new facility took place on April 25, 2024.{{Cite web |date=2024-04-25 |title=‘Critically important’: New Nevada facility aims to boost solar energy |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-nevada/critically-important-new-nevada-facility-aims-to-boost-solar-energy-3040299/ |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=Las Vegas Review-Journal |language=en-US}}
Controversy
Due to its location adjacent to the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians reservation and one of their communities, the plant had long been a concern over the health effects on the nearby residents.{{cite web |url=http://www.sierraclub.org/coal/nv/default.aspx |title=Moving from Coal to Clean Energy in Nevada |author= |date= |work=Sierra Club |publisher= |accessdate=November 3, 2012}} As a result of several agreements to improve the air quality around the plant, the upgraded plant was ranked as one of the 10 cleanest coal plants in the US.
Concerns have also been expressed over particulates in the air as the plant can be upwind of the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon. Both of these canyons are Class I areas which place limits on the amount of haze allowed.{{cite web |url=http://www.epa.gov/region9/air/actions/pdf/nv/rgss-final-fact-sheet-2012-08-13.pdf |title=U.S. FACT SHEET |author= |date= August 13, 2012|publisher= |accessdate=November 3, 2012}}
Greenhouse gas emissions
Reid Gardner Station was a major emitter of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas contributing to global warming.{{cite book|last=Schwarz|first=Andrew|title=Climate Action Plan Phase 1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Plan|year=2012|publisher=California Department of Water Resources|location=Sacramento, California|url=http://www.water.ca.gov/climatechange/docs/Final-DWR-ClimateActionPlan.pdf}} California's Department of Water Resources is planning to sell its stake in the plant, and purchase less carbon-intensive electricity as a part of its overall plan to reduce emissions mandated by California law (AB32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006):
Electricity from the plant produces disproportionally high amounts of GHGs as compared to other SWP electricity generation sources. Emissions from Reid Gardner for electricity delivered to DWR have typically been over 1.5 million mtCO2e [million metric tonnes CO2 equivalents] per year (30%–50% of total DWR operational emissions). Between 1997 and 2007, the average emissions rate from Reid Gardner for electricity supplied to DWR has been 1.116 mtCO2e/MWh. This is more than twice the emissions rate associated with the general pool electricity from the integrated California market. (CA DWR 2012, page 54)
Waste
Ongoing activity
Notes
{{Reflist}}
{{Energy resource facilities in Nevada}}
{{coord|36.657|-114.634|type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NV_dim:1000|display=title|name=Reid Gardner Generating Station}}
Category:Coal-fired power stations in Nevada
Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 2019
Category:Buildings and structures in Clark County, Nevada
Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1965
Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1968
Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1976
Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1983
Category:Former coal-fired power stations in the United States