The Boardman coal-fired power plant 150 miles east of Portland is the center of an energy debate in Oregon.
Portland General Electric announced in January that it plans to either shut down or retrofit the plant, in efforts to reduce pollution and move toward producing cleaner energy by 2020. But some opponents of coal energy, which is notoriously cheap and environmentally hazardous, say that’s not soon enough.
Catherine Vaughan of the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group is organizing “Coal Free Week” at Lane Community College for the week of March 1 through March 5, to raise awareness about the environmental hazards of coal energy. Vaughan and LCC’S OSPIRG chapter are gathering signatures for a petition calling on PGE to switch the plant to produce renewable energy.
OSPIRG would like to see the Boardman plant use natural gas by 2014.
“2020 is 10 years from now. That’s too long to wait,” Vaughan said. “Natural gas is a good option. It’s not clean energy, but it’s better than coal.”
The Boardman plant began operating in 1980 and is located in Morrow County east of the Cascades. The plant has an estimated lifespan of 40 years and serves about 793,000 customers in 52 Oregon cities. The plant burns an estimated 300 tons of coal an hour.
Shutting down the plant in 2014 means regulators and planners would have less time to look into replacement resources for Boardman, PGE spokesperson Steve Corson said.
“Boardman can run all the time,” Corson said. “We need a similarly reliable resource.”
The 2014 plan also would require PGE to add new commission controls, he said, which would cost millions of dollars.
“We don’t have the option to shut down the plant completely under the current rules,” Corson said.
These rules are mandated by federal and state organizations, including the Environmental Protection Agency. The state of Oregon must meet certain emissions caps.
The Boardman power plant is one of the most significant sources of haze pollution in Oregon, according to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Web site.
Renewable energy mechanisms such as solar panels and wind turbines emit no pollutants.
However, solar and wind energy cost much more to produce than coal.
“Coal is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas,” EWEB spokesperson Lance Robertson said.
He added that the price of coal is similar to that of hydroelectric power, which is used
in Eugene.
Wind power, which is used in the Columbia River Gorge in eastern Washington, has an aesthetic cost — the turbines stand out in the landscape. Wind turbines are located in remote, underdeveloped areas, but their environmental impact is less dramatic than coal energy’s, Robertson said.
Wind and solar power are not as reliable as coal, because they are weather-permitting.
PGE is looking into options for alternate energy sources, including natural gas, wind power and solar power.
“We want to take the route that offers the least cost to customers and the least risk,” Corson said. “This is a complex issue.”
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Coal plant a target of scrutiny
Daily Emerald
March 1, 2010
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