Four Corners Generating Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Four Corners Generating Station |
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| Country | United States |
| Location | Near Fruitland Navajo Nation, New Mexico |
| Coordinates | 36°41′17″N 108°28′37″W / 36.68806°N 108.47694°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | Unit 1: 1963 Unit 2: 1963 Unit 3: 1964 Unit 4: 1969 Unit 5: 1970 |
| Decommission date | Unit 1: 2013 Unit 2: 2013 Unit 3: 2013 Unit 4: 2031 (planned) Unit 5: 2031 (planned) |
| Owner(s) | Arizona Public Service (66%) SCE (19.2%) Navajo Transitional Energy Company (7%) PNM Resources (5.2%) Salt River Project (4%) Tucson Electric Power (2.8%) El Paso Electric (2.8%) |
The Four Corners Generating Station is a large power plant that uses coal to make electricity. It is located near Fruitland, New Mexico, on land leased from the Navajo Nation government. This plant can produce 1,540 megawatts of electricity.
Contents
How the Power Plant Works
The Four Corners Generating Station used to have five main parts, called units. Together, these units could make about 2,040 megawatts of power. Units 1, 2, and 3 were closed in 2013. This was part of a plan to meet environmental rules.
Units 4 and 5 are still running. Each of these units can make 770 megawatts of power. The Arizona Public Service Company (APS) operates these units. Several companies own parts of Units 4 and 5.
The power plant uses water from Morgan Lake to cool its systems. This lake is man-made. It gets about 28 million gallons of water each day from the San Juan River. The plant burns a type of coal called sub-bituminous coal. This coal comes from the nearby Navajo Coal Mine. It is brought to the plant by the Navajo Mine Railroad.
The Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) bought the Navajo Mine. They also bought a small part (7%) of the Four Corners Generating Station. In 2020, Arizona Public Service announced plans to close the power plant. This means the mine and railroad might also close in the future.
History of the Power Plant
The Four Corners Generating Station was built on land rented from the Navajo Nation. The first two units were finished in 1963. Unit 3 was ready in 1964. Units 4 and 5 were completed in 1969 and 1970. The agreement to lease the land will last until 2041.
Astronauts from the early Mercury space program once said they could see two things made by humans from space. One was the Great Wall of China. The other was the "plume" (a cloud of smoke) coming from the Four Corners Power Plant.
Environmental Efforts
In November 2010, APS announced important changes. They decided to buy more shares of Units 4 and 5. They also planned to add special systems to these units. These systems would help control air pollution. At the same time, they decided to shut down Units 1, 2, and 3. These changes were finished in 2013. After Units 1, 2, and 3 closed, the plant's total power output became 1,540 megawatts.
After a group of environmental organizations filed a lawsuit, the plant owners and the groups reached an agreement in 2015. The agreement stated that the plant would reduce its emissions of certain pollutants. These include nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. The plant also agreed to pay money for fines and for healthcare. This money would help people in the affected parts of the Navajo Nation. The lawsuit was about pollution in important natural areas. These included Grand Canyon National Park and other national parks. It also focused on health concerns for people living near the plant.
Future Plans for Closure
In January 2020, Arizona Public Service announced a big decision. They plan to close the Four Corners Generating Station by the end of 2031. This is seven years earlier than they had originally planned.
See also
In Spanish: Four Corners Generating Station para niños
