Big Cajun I
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Big Cajun I is an operating power station of at least 494-megawatts (MW) in New Roads, Louisiana, United States with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Big Cajun I | New Roads, Louisiana, United States | 30.693402, -91.452029 (approximate) |
The map below shows the approximate location of the power station.
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | cancelled | coal - unknown | 230 | supercritical | – | 2011 | – |
| Unit 1 | operating[1] | gas[1] | 114[1] | steam turbine[1] | no[1] | 1972[1] | – |
| Unit 2 | operating[1] | gas[1] | 114[1] | steam turbine[1] | no[1] | 1972[1] | – |
| Unit 3 | operating[1] | gas[1] | 133[1] | gas turbine[1] | no[1] | 2001[1] | – |
| Unit 4 | operating[1] | gas[1] | 133[1] | gas turbine[1] | no[1] | 2001[1] | – |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Louisiana Generating LLC [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 1 | Louisiana Generating LLC[2] | CLECO Corporate Holdings LLC [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Louisiana Generating LLC[2] | CLECO Corporate Holdings LLC [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | Louisiana Generating LLC[2] | CLECO Corporate Holdings LLC [100.0%] |
| Unit 4 | Louisiana Generating LLC[2] | CLECO Corporate Holdings LLC [100.0%] |
Background
Big Cajun I is a natural gas power station owned by CLECO Corporate Holdings LLC.[3][4].[5] The same site had a proposed coal-fired unit, which was cancelled before construction.
According to the Sierra Club, Louisiana Generating sought to replace two of its natural gas turbines at Big Cajun I with a 230 megawatt (MW) coal-fired unit. A public hearing was held on July 12, 2007. Construction was projected to take approximately three years.[6]
In 2007, there were plans to convert the station's gas-fired units to coal-fired power. However, in January 2011, the project's air permit for the conversion expired, and the company took no action to extend it, meaning that the conversion was cancelled.[7]
In April 2008, the Sierra Club and other groups filed a lawsuit challenging the Louisiana DEQ's decision to issue the air permit for the plant. The Sierra Club also notified Louisiana Generating of its intent to sue the company under the Clean Air Act for exceeding the maximum allowance for mercury, lead, and arsenic emissions.[6]
According to a Sierra Club update in July 2008, the lawsuit was still proceeding. Louisiana Generating has asked the court to review its ruling to stop any construction until the case is resolved and a hearing was scheduled for August 2008. On July 10, 2008 the Louisiana DEQ issued the draft LPDES/water discharge permit for the plant.[8]
As of April 2009, the Sierra Club lawsuit was still proceeding. Both parties' briefings were completed in March.[9]
In a January 2010 Sierra Club visit to the Big Cajun site, officials from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality noted construction had not yet begun on the new boiler due to 'legal reasons.'[9]
Further details on individual units
- Unit 1: natural gas steam turbine; 114 MW(start-up in 1972)[10]
- Unit 2: natural gas steam turbine; 114 MW (start-up in 1972)[10]
- Unit 3: natural gas steam turbine; 133 MW (start-up in 2001)[10]
- Unit 4: natural gas steam turbine; 133 MW (start-up in 2001)[10]
- Unit 5 - Cancelled: coal, 230 MW[6]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 "U.S. Energy Information Administration, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (November 2019)". Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-860 detailed data with previous form data (EIA-860A/860B), 2018". Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ↑ "Generation Assets". Default. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
- ↑ "LEI Search 2.0". search.gleif.org. Retrieved 2022-12-15.
- ↑ Big Cajun I, Cleco, Accessed January 2022
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Stopping the Coal Rush", Sierra Club, accessed January 2008. (This is a Sierra Club list of new coal plant proposals.)
- ↑ "Stopping the Coal Rush", Sierra Club, accessed February 2013. (This is a Sierra Club list of new coal plant proposals.)
- ↑ "Stopping the Coal Rush", Sierra Club, accessed November 2008. (This is a Sierra Club list of new coal plant proposals.)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Stopping the Coal Rush", Sierra Club. (This is a Sierra Club list of new coal plant proposals.)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (based on Form EIA-860M as a supplement to Form EIA-860) - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datases, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
