Centralia Power Plant
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Centralia Power Plant is a power station in Centralia, Lewis, Washington, United States with multiple units of varying statuses, none of which are currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Centralia Power Plant | Centralia, Lewis, Washington, United States | 46.755925, -122.857217 (exact)[1] |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2: 46.755925, -122.857217
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year | Emergency/Backup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Retired | coal: subbituminous[2] | 730 | subcritical | 1972 | 2020 | no |
| Unit 2, timepoint 1 | Mothballed[3] | coal: subbituminous[2] | 730 | subcritical | 1973 | 2026 (planned) | no |
| Unit 2, timepoint 2 | Announced[1][4] | fossil gas: natural gas[1] | 700[1][4] | steam turbine[4] | 2028 (planned)[4] | – | no |
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 | TransAlta Centralia Generation LLC [100%][1] | TRANSALTA USA Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 2, timepoint 1 | TransAlta Centralia Generation LLC [100%][1] | TRANSALTA USA Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 2, timepoint 2 | TransAlta Centralia Generation LLC [100%][1] | TRANSALTA USA Inc [100.0%] |
Unit-level fuel conversion details:
Unit 2: Announced conversion from coal to fossil gas of a mothballed unit in 2028.
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): domestic
Impacts
Potential emissions and details on the project's status and permit applications can be viewed on Oil and Gas Watch page here.
The Oil and Gas Watch database, created by Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), is a free, public-facing tool designed to track the rapid expansion of fossil fuel and petrochemical infrastructure in the United States. Oil and Gas Watch maps new and expanding oil, gas, and petrochemical infrastructure projects across the country and monitors each project’s construction status so the public can stay informed about major oil and gas developments being proposed in their communities. We track key environmental approvals companies must obtain before starting construction or operations and provide access to thousands of government records and permits unearthed by our analysts.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Unit Retirements
A bill signed in 2011 by governor Christine Gregoire, the TransAlta Energy Transition Bill, will result in one boiler (729.9 MW) being shut down by the end of 2020 and the other (729.9 MW) by the end of 2025.[5][6][7]
As of 2006, the Centralia Power Plant is the only commercial coal-fired power plant in Washington State.[8]
As of March 2020, Unit 1 was scheduled for retirement in December 2020, and Unit 2 was scheduled for retirement in December 2025.[9]
Department of Energy orders Centralia Plant to stay online
In mid-December 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) ordered TransAlta to keep Centralia’s coal Unit 2 running past its previously planned retirement date at the end of 2025. The 90-day emergency order was in effect until March 16, 2026.[10][11]
According to reporting from January 2026, Unit 2 stopped operating on December 19, 2025, despite the DOE order to keep the plant open. The Washington Attorney General’s office had reportedly requested that the DOE revoke the emergency order, arguing that there was no shortage of generating capacity to meet the state’s electricity needs.[12] A coalition of six environmental groups had filed a separate request for the DOE to revoke its order, arguing that Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act permitted the agency to require plants to continue operating only to address imminent and unexpected shortfalls. The DOE had 30 days to respond to the requests by Washington state and the environmental groups, after which the applicants can challenge the order in court.[13]
As of February 2026, the Centralia plant had reportedly not burned any coal since December 2025, but the plant remained connected to the grid per the DOE order.[14]
In March 2026, the DOE renewed its emergency order to keep the Centralia plant available for operation.[15]
According to reporting from May 2026, TransAlta was seeking to recover US$19.9 million from customers for its costs to keep the Centralia plant available. The company estimated that another US$23 million would be needed to repair the plant if the DOE continued renewing its orders.[16]
In June 2026, the DOE issued a third emergency order requiring the Centralia plant to remain available for operation. The order was in effect until September 12, 2026.[17] In September 2026, the DOE issued a fourth order to keep Centralia power station available through December 12, 2026.[18]
In October 2026, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rejected TransAlta’s proposed plan to recover US$19.9 million in costs for keeping the Centralia plant available for the first 90-day emergency order. FERC reportedly said that the cost-recovery plan included customers beyond an appropriate assessment area, and that only utilities in the Northwest should pay the costs.[19]
Gas conversion
In December 2025, TransAlta announced that they had signed an agreement with Puget Sound Energy (PSE) to convert Centralia Unit 2 from coal to gas. The agreement, which was pending approval by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, would reportedly give PSE exclusive rights to the gas plant's output through 2044. The 700 MW gas facility was expected to come online in 2028.[20] As of TransAlta's announcement, Unit 2 was slated to stop coal generation at the end of 2025.[21]
Emissions Data
- 2024 Gross Load (MWh): 3,039,265[22]
- 2024 SO2 Mass (short tons): 940[22]
- 2024 CO2 Mass (short tons): 3,536,937[22]
- 2024 NOx Mass (short tons): 2,824[22]
- 2023 Mercury emissions (Hg, lb): 30.34[23][24]
Pollution controls and planned shut down
Plant to cut some emissions
In April 2009, TransAlta Corp. agreed to reduce Centralia's mercury and nitrogen oxide emissions. Washington's only coal-fired power plant will reduce mercury pollution by 50 percent and its NOx pollution by 20 percent in 2009. The company estimates the reductions will cost between $20 million and $30 million.[25]
The deal was brokered confidentially by officials from Governor Gregoire's office and the state Ecology Department. Critics say the process should have gone through public channels, and that the cuts called for by the agreement are too small and enable the plant to continue adding smog to the region. Keith Phillips, the governor's environmental policy advisor, has promised a public hearing before the deal is signed.[26]
The Washington Department of Ecology will accept comments on the proposed agreement through November 9, 2009. There is a public hearing scheduled for October 13.[27]
Legislative issues
On January 25, 2010 the Washington legislature introduced a bill that would eliminate a state tax exemption for Washington's only coal-fired power plant in Centralia. The TransAlta Corporation, based in Canada, currently receives a tax break of about $4 million annually. The tax break, enacted in the 1990s, was passed in exchange for the plant to burn locally mined coal. However, the Centralia coal mine closed in 2006. Proponents of the legislation argue that TransAlta is receiving tax breaks despite "violating [Washington's] stated energy policies". [28]
In early February 2011, Washington state lawmaker Marko Liias proposed a bill that would require the Centralia plant to be shut by December 31, 2015, or by December 31, 2017, if Bonneville Power Administration determines the unit is needed until then for reliability reasons. The lawmaker stated that the plant was harmful to human and environmental health. A spokesperson for the plant stated that such a time line was not feasible. [29]
Opponents of Centralia plant rally in State capitol
Opponents of the Centralia plant in Washington state squared off in the Olympia on February 16, 2011 over how quickly Washington's only coal plant should stop burning coal.
Environmentalists rallied support for House Bill 1825, which would transition the coal-fired plant off coal by 2015. Another measure in the Senate has set a 2020 deadline. TransAlta, which operates the plant, stated it must operate the facility until 2025 to protect jobs and provide enough time to bring cleaner resources on line.
TransAlta supporters also held a rally in Olympia to raise their concerns.[30]
TransAlta to phase out coal boilers in Washington state
It was announced on March 5, 2011 that a bill to close two coal boilers at a TransAlta's plant Centralia Power Plant, and phase out coal-fired power in Washington state is set to go to state lawmakers under a deal between the company and state Governor Christine Gregoire.
One coal boiler in Centralia will be shut no later than the end of December 2020 and the other by the end of December 2025 under terms of the reported agreement, which will allow TransAlta to sell long-term contracts for coal-fired power to help finance a transition to gas-fueled energy, a statement from the governor's office stated. The agreement will also require TransAlta to install air pollution control technology to further reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides at its Centralia plant starting in 2013.[31]
Bill to move TransAlta from coal signed by Governor
On April 11, 2011 the Washington State House of Representatives voted overwhelming to approved Senate Bill 5769, which would shut down one of two boilers at the TransAlta coal-fired plant by 2020 and phase out coal-burning by 2025. TransAlta, state officials and environmental groups negotiated a deal in March 2011 to close the plant in Centralia. The measure requires the company to provide $55 million for economic development and other assistance, and to install additional air pollution controls called scrubbers to further reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides at the plant.
In exchange, TransAlta would be allowed enter into long-term agreements to sell its electricity to other utilities, which is currently prohibited by state law.
Lawmakers in the House made mostly technical changes to the bill, which passed by an 87-9 vote. The bill was later passed by the Washington State Senate.[32]
On May 3, 2011, Governor Chris Gregoire signed legislation today that will close the plant by 2025.[33] It was also reported that natural gas was being discussed as the replacement fuel for the TransAlta plant.[34]
Text of SB 5769 here
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Centralia Power Plant
In 2010, Abt Associates issued a study commissioned by the Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, quantifying the deaths and other health effects attributable to fine particle pollution from coal-fired power plants.[35] Fine particle pollution consists of a complex mixture of soot, heavy metals, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. Among these particles, the most dangerous are those less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which are so tiny that they can evade the lung's natural defenses, enter the bloodstream, and be transported to vital organs. Impacts are especially severe among the elderly, children, and those with respiratory disease. The study found that over 13,000 deaths and tens of thousands of cases of chronic bronchitis, acute bronchitis, asthma, congestive heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, dysrhythmia, ischemic heart disease, chronic lung disease, and pneumonia each year are attributable to fine particle pollution from U.S. coal plant emissions. These deaths and illnesses are major examples of coal's external costs, i.e. uncompensated harms inflicted upon the public at large. Low-income and minority populations are disproportionately impacted as well, due to the tendency of companies to avoid locating power plants upwind of affluent communities. To monetize the health impact of fine particle pollution from each coal plant, Abt assigned a value of $7,300,000 to each 2010 mortality, based on a range of government and private studies. Valuations of illnesses ranged from $52 for an asthma episode to $440,000 for a case of chronic bronchitis.[36]
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Centralia Power Plant
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 5 | $39,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 8 | $880,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 97 | $5,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 3 | $71,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 4 | $1,700,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 2 | $<1,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
Ownership
From the early 1970s until 2000, the plant was owned by eight utilities: PacifiCorp (47.5%), Avista Utilities (15%), Seattle City Light (8%), Snohomish County PUD (8%), Tacoma Power (8%), Puget Sound Energy (7%), Grays Harbor County PUD (4%), and Portland General Electric (2.5%).[37]
Plans to sell the plant began in 1998.[38] In 2000, Portland General Electric sold its 2.5 percent share to Avista Utilities, shortly before the plant was sold in its entirety to TransAlta for $554 million that same year.[39][40]
Fuel supply
Seventy percent of sub-bituminous coal used by the plant was delivered by truck from the nearby Centralia coal mine, which was a strip mine and the largest coal mine in the state of Washington, until it closed down on November 27, 2006.[41] Coal from the Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming has also been transported by rail to be burned at the plant since 1989, but was only used to supplement Centralia Coal mine coal until 2006. By 2008, the plant was burning 100% Powder River basin coal.[42]
Carbon Dioxide Output
Public Citizen in 2004 ranked the Centralia plant as the 36th most polluting power plant in the United States for carbon dioxide CO2 emissions. The group notes that even with scrubbers installed that CO2 emissions would not be affected.[43]
Citizen activism
On September 28, 2009 Earthjustice, on behalf of the Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association and the Northwest Environmental Defense Center, filed an appeal to challenge the renewal of an air pollution permit with the state Pollution Control Hearings Board for the TransAlta coal-fired plant located in Centralia, Washington. The groups argued that the permit fails to impose limits on mercury and greenhouse gas emissions and does not require best available control technologies for nitrogen oxides.[44][45]
Doug Howell, senior representative for the Sierra Club’s Coal-Free Washington campaign commented:
- In Washington state, TransAlta, as the number one source of global warming, mercury and haze pollution, has had a free ride for too long. This old, filthy coal-fired plant must be seen for what it is and now is the time to hold the coal plant accountable to fulfill its obligations to address known pollutants to protect our health, environment and economy.[46]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 https://transalta.com/newsroom/transalta-signs-long-term-agreement-for-700-mw-at-centralia-facility-enabling-coal-to-natural-gas-conversion/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.gem.wiki/Coal_source_methodology_for_the_Global_Coal_Plant_Tracker.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/forced-coal-plant-openings-throw-communities-chaos.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 https://www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-transalta-centralia-emergency-order/808123/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "SB 5769 - 2011-12". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ↑ Centralia plant, Transalta, accessed October 2017
- ↑ "TransAlta Agrees to Phase Out Coal Plant". PubliCola.com. March 9, 2011
- ↑ "Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, 2006" (Excel). Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy. 2006. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
- ↑ "Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory" eia.gov, 860m March 2020
- ↑ “DOE orders 730-MW TransAlta coal plant in Washington to keep running,” Utility Dive, December 17, 2025
- ↑ “US orders unit at TransAlta coal plant in Washington state to stay open,” Reuters, December 17, 2025
- ↑ “Washington's largest climate polluter shuts down despite federal order,” KUOW, January 26, 2026
- ↑ “Public Interest Groups Challenge Trump Administration Order to Keep Washington’s Last Coal Plant Operating,” Earthjustice, January 14, 2026
- ↑ “Forced Coal Plant Openings Throw Communities Into Chaos,” Sierra Club, February 10, 2026
- ↑ “WA, Trump administration standoff continues in fight over coal plant,” Seattle Times, March 21, 2026
- ↑ “TransAlta seeks $19.9M for Centralia plant’s first DOE ‘emergency’ order,” Utility Dive, May 1, 2026
- ↑ “DOE extends TransAlta Centralia Unit 2 emergency order,” Utility Dive, June 15, 2026
- ↑ “TransAlta Ordered by U.S. Government to Keep Washington Coal Unit Online for 90 More Days,” Morningstar, September 12, 2026
- ↑ “FERC rejects TransAlta 202(c) cost-recovery plan for Centralia unit,” Utility Dive, October 2, 2026
- ↑ "Centralia coal plant to burn natural gas instead," Seattle Times, December 11, 2025
- ↑ "TransAlta Signs Long-Term Agreement for 700 MW at Centralia Facility Enabling Coal to Natural Gas Conversion," TransAlta, December 9, 2025
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 EIA (2024). "Clean Air Markets Program Data (CAMD)". Retrieved 2025-02-20.
- ↑ Clean Air and Power Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (February 2024). "Annual data 2022 vs. 2023". Retrieved 2025-03-04.
- ↑ Toxics Release Inventory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (October 2024). "2023 Basic Plus Data". Retrieved 2025-03-04.
- ↑ "State's only coal power plant to reduce emissions," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 3, 2009.
- ↑ "State's secret deal with coal plant sparks outcry," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 7, 2009.
- ↑ "Public hearing for reductions of coal-fired emissions," Othello Outlook, September 21, 2009.
- ↑ Chris Thomas, "Lawmakers Seek to 'Strip-Mine' Tax Break from WA Coal Plant" Lake Stevens Journal, January 25, 2010.
- ↑ "Washington lawmaker offers bill to shut Centralia plant as early as 2015" Platts.com, February 3, 2011.
- ↑ "Opponents square off over Wash.'s coal-fired plant" Associated Press, February 15, 2011.
- ↑ "TransAlta to phase out coal boilers in Wash. state" Reuters, March 5, 2011.
- ↑ "Bill moves Wash. plant off coal by 2025" Phuong Le, Associated Press, April 11, 2011.
- ↑ "Washington State to Close Coal Plants, Offshore Oil Drilling Comes to Vote" SustainableBusiness.com, May 3, 2011.
- ↑ "Natural Gas Most Likely To Replace Coal At Big Power Plant " Tom Banse, Oregon Public Broadcast, May 1, 2011.
- ↑ "The Toll from Coal: An Updated Assessment of Death and Disease from America's Dirtiest Energy Source," Clean Air Task Force, September 2010.
- ↑ "Technical Support Document for the Powerplant Impact Estimator Software Tool," Prepared for the Clean Air Task Force by Abt Associates, July 2010
- ↑ “State allows sale of three private utilities' share in Centralia coal plant,” Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, Mar. 6, 2000
- ↑ “Centralia power plant sold for $554M,” Puget Sound Business Journal, May 5, 2000
- ↑ “Coal-plant sale was good idea at the time,” Seattle Times, Mar. 20, 2001
- ↑ “Utah agency stalls sale of aging Centralia power plant,” Daily Journal of Commerce, Apr. 13, 2000
- ↑ “Centralia mine to close, putting 600 out of work,” Puget Sound Business Journal, Nov. 28, 2006
- ↑ "TransAlta’s Centralia Plant Earns PRBCUG Award," Power, Jan 1, 2014
- ↑ Jim DePeso, "America's Dirtiest Power Plants: Plugged into the Bush Administration," Public Citizen, May, 2004.
- ↑ Jim DePeso, "Green groups appeal air permit for Centralia coal plant," Seattle Energy Policy Examiner, September 29, 2009.
- ↑ Groups Challenge WA Coal Plant’s Permit Renewal, Public News Service, September 30, 2009.
- ↑ Earthjustice Appeals TransAlta Permit, The Chronicle Online, September 29, 2009.
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
