Centralia Power Plant - Environmental and Public Impacts

Environmental and Public Impacts

Annually, this coal plant emits 350 pounds of mercury pollution, making it the state's largest single source of mercury pollution. Mercury pollution is a bio cumulative neuro-toxin which causes brain damage in humans and is especially dangerous for children and pregnant or nursing mothers.

All of the mining area is currently being reclaimed. When TransAlta bought the plant in 2000, it agreed to reduce emissions. It installed US $200 million worth of scrubbers on the plant, which were purchased from ABB Environmental Systems. Between 2010 and 2012 the Centralia Power Plant has been offline for an average of 4 months of each year. In March 2009, a proposed agreement between TransAlta and the Washington Department of Ecology was announced, regarding a significant step forward in improving air quality in Washington State. Key to the agreement is TransAlta’s willingness to voluntarily reduce mercury emissions by 50 percent by 2012 to address air quality concerns in the region. Capture testing took place in 2009 and an activated injection product was selected. The process will cost US$20 to $30 million over the next several years. Additionally, continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS) for mercury measurement was certified by the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC). Currently, neither Washington State nor the U.S. federal government has regulations in place for mercury emission reductions. As part of the same agreement between TransAlta and the Washington Department of Ecology, TransAlta agreed to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx) by 20 percent beginning in 2009. This is two to five years earlier than TransAlta would have been required to reduce NOx emissions if an agreement had not been reached with the Department of Ecology. owner of Centralia plant and Washington State Ecology.