Coal Briefs from Germany, Michigan, and Canada
Last week saw several important developments concerning coal plants in Germany, Michigan, and Canada.
German Court Ruling Rattles E.ON’s Plans for Massive Coal Plant
A German court last week ruled in favor of a farmer who had challenged E.ON’s 1,050-MW coal-fired power station under construction in Datteln, northern Germany. The Higher Administrative Court for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia declared the plan for the power plant from the city of Datteln invalid because it did not account for prerequisites from the state’s parliament for sustainable use of energy, Reuters reported on Thursday.
The court also reportedly ruled that E.ON’s proposed plant did not consider the health implications the station could have on adjacent communities. Additionally, it said that E.ON was building the plant in a location not suited for a power plant.
The news agency said that opposition to coal-fired power in Germany—Europe’s largest power market—is growing. Another German utility, RWE, has had to abandon plans to build a coal power plant in western Germany after people voted against it.
E.ON has already started building the plant and had planned to replace three existing units in Datteln as well as other power plants in the Ruhr region that are reaching the end of their operating life. The plant was scheduled to be operational in 2011.
Michigan PSC Report: No Coal Fired Plants Needed Until 2022
A recently released report (PDF) from the Michigan Public Service Commission (PSC) suggests that the state will not need a new coal plant until at least 2022, owning to energy efficiency initiatives and the increased use of renewable energy sources.
The PSC staff issued the report in response to Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s request that the state assess its future electric power plans and consider whether it was viable to slash its reliance on coal-fired power. It specifically recommended that Consumers Energy delay a planned 803-MW coal-fired power plant at its Karn-Weadock Generating Complex near Bay City until 2022.
The report is not an order from the PSC, however, and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is expected to rule on whether the utility receives an air quality permit for the plant. The plant was scheduled to be completed in 2017.
Ontario to Speed Up Coal Plant Closures
Ontario’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure said on Thursday that it was preparing to close four coal-fueled power units in the province by 2010—four years ahead of the 2014 target. The decision would launch the province’s transition to generating power from renewable sources, it said.
The provincially owned utility Ontario Power Generation (OPG) plans to close two of eight units at its Nanticoke station near Simcoe and two of four units at its Lambton plant near Sarnia by October 2010. Those plants represent a total 2,000 MW of generation capacity. With the shutdown of Lakeview Generating Station in 2005, Ontario’s in-service coal capacity will be reduced by 40% from 2003 levels, OPG said.
For the first six months of 2009, OPG reported that coal-fired power production was down 51% and wind generation was 80% higher compared to the same period in 2008.
The utility plans to continue assessing the conversion of its remaining 11 units to other types of fuel such as biomass. Atikokan Generating Station will be OPG’s initial focus for transition to biomass by the target year of 2012.
Sources: Reuters, E.ON, Michigan PSC, Ontario Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, POWERnews