Fire traps workers beneath Colorado power plant
DENVER, COLORADO - Five workers were trapped deep underground at a hydroelectric plant near Georgetown, Colorado, after a fire broke out, power company Xcel Energy Inc said.
Five contractors were working in an underground penstock, or pipeline, at the Cabin Creek Station, where the fire broke out. Xcel said the workers climbed to a safe distance from the blaze and were communicating with plant operators by radio.
The 48-inch diameter pipe was opened to get air into the pipe, Xcel spokeswoman Ethnie Groves told reporters at a news conference.
Firefighters from the Clear Creek County Fire Authority were battling the blaze. The plant was shut down for routine maintenance at the time, the company said. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
The pipeline is between 1,500 and 2,000 feet (460 and 610 meters) below ground and carries water from a reservoir to power turbines inside the plant.
The power station, which is west of Denver, has two turbines and a generating capacity of 324 megawatts.
Related News
Biden administration pushes to revitalize coal communities with clean energy projects
WASHINGTON - The Biden administration is channeling hundreds of millions of dollars from recent legislation into its efforts to turn coal communities into clean energy hubs, the White House said.
The administration gave an update on its push across agencies to kick-start projects nationwide with funding Congress approved during Biden’s first two years in office. The effort includes $450 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that the Department of Energy will allocate to an array of new clean energy demonstration projects on former mine lands.
“These projects could focus on a range of technologies from microgrids to advanced nuclear to power plans…
