$2.3M for coal plant could go toward new project

City officials say Great Falls' $2.3 million investment in a shelved, coal-fired power plant could instead go toward a plant fueled by natural gas plant if that project is developed.

But critics contend the investment in the coal-fired Highwood Generating Station could be lost. Great Falls City Commissioner Mary Jolley says the money is "down a rat hole," and she wants the city to get it back.

The coal plant's developer, Southern Montana Electric Generation & Transmission Cooperative, has said it is dropping plans for the 250-megawatt project at a site near Great Falls, but is considering development of a natural gas plant.

Commissioners Bill Bronson and John Rosenbaum said the city's investment in the coal plant was safe. They said the money could allow the city to buy electricity generated by the gas-fired plant.

"I don't see it as a loss situation," Bronson said. "All you're doing is you're just transitioning from one type of generation to another."

Rosenbaum said the city expects the SME to acknowledge investments in the project made so far. That might give the city the ability to buy electricity generated by the gas-fired plant, he said.

"They all go into the expenses," Rosenbaum said. "We still should be in a reasonable position."

Construction on the coal plant already had begun when SME announced last month that it was considering the switch to natural gas. SME General Manager Tim Gregori said coal would remain a future option, but that "regulatory uncertainties" related to a coal plant had made raising money for the project harder.

As for the work already done, Gregori compared the situation to building a foundation for a house, then deciding to change the configuration of the rooms inside. He said a large pit dug to hold ash from a coal plant might be used for solid waste disposal by a gas plant.

Gregg Smith, a Great Falls attorney who has questioned whether the city should be in the power business, said it would be "a very fortunate coincidence" if the natural-gas-fired plant could use the concrete foundations already built for the planned coal-fired plant.

Charles Homer, permitting and compliance manager for the state Department of Environmental Quality in Helena, said the agency has had some preliminary discussions with SME representatives about a gas-fired facility, but no application has been filed.

"They've said soon," Homer said.

Gregori said SME is in the process of preparing information that could be used to apply for a state air-quality permit for a gas-fired plant.

Related News

Drax Power Station

How the dirtiest power station in western Europe switched to renewable energy

LONDON - A power station that used to be the biggest polluter in western Europe has made a near-complete switch to renewable energy.

The Drax Power Station in Yorkshire, England, used to spew out millions of tons of carbon dioxide a year by burning coal. But over the past eight years, it has overhauled its operations by converting four of its six coal-fired units to biomass. The plant's owners say it now generates 15% of the country's renewable power.

The change means that just 6% of the utility's power now comes from coal. The ultimate goal is to stop using coal altogether.

"We've…

READ MORE
climate change denial

$1 billion per year is being spent to support climate change denial

READ MORE

abu dhabi nuclear plant

Crucial step towards completing nuclear plant achieved in Abu Dhabi

READ MORE

global energy crunch

4 ways the energy crisis hits U.S. electricity, gas, EVs

READ MORE

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball

N.L. premier says Muskrat Falls costs are too great for optimism about benefits

READ MORE