H.R. Milner power station
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H.R. Milner power station is an operating power station of at least 450-megawatts (MW) in Grande Cache, Greenview, Alberta, Canada with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| H.R. Milner power station | Grande Cache, Greenview, Alberta, Canada | 54.007659, -119.103559 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2: 54.007659, -119.103559
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 2 upgrade, Unit 3: 54.00803, -119.10485
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | retired[1] | coal - bituminous, fossil gas - LNG | 150[1] | subcritical | – | 1973 | 2023[1] |
| Unit 1 | operating[2] | gas, coal[2] | 150[2] | steam turbine[2] | not found | 1972[3] | – |
| Unit 1 | retired[1] | coal - bituminous, fossil gas - LNG | 150[1] | subcritical | – | 1973 | 2023[1] |
| Unit 2 | cancelled | coal - bituminous | 500 | supercritical | – | – | – |
| Unit 2 | operating[4] | gas[5] | 204[6] | gas turbine[6] | not found | 2020[4] | – |
| Unit 2 upgrade | operating[1] | gas[7] | 96[7] | combined cycle[7] | not found | 2023[1] | – |
| Unit 3 | announced[5][8] | gas[5] | 346[5] | steam turbine[4] | not found | not found | – |
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 | Maxim Power Corp [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 1 | Milner Power Limited Partnership[3][4] | Maxim Power Corp. [100.0%] |
| Unit 1 | – | – |
| Unit 2 | Maxim Power Corp [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 2 | Milner Power Limited Partnership[3][4] | Maxim Power Corp. [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 upgrade | Milner Power Limited Partnership[3] | Maxim Power Corp. [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | Milner Power Limited Partnership[3] | Maxim Power Corp. [100.0%] |
Unit-level fuel conversion details:
Unit 1: Unknown or atypical conversion status Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): domestic
Background
The power station consists of one 150 MW subcritical coal-burning unit. Construction of HR Milner began in 1969 by Canadian Utilities, Alberta Power’s parent company, and was commissioned in 1972. Since 2000, the facility was operated by ATCO Power (2000) Ltd. under an operating agreement with the Alberta Balancing Pool. It was acquired by Maxim Power in 2005.[9]
In March 2016 Maxim Power announced the shutdown of the H.R. Milner plant, saying the facility was losing money at current spot market prices. The company said it may convert the unit to natural gas.[10] It had planned to retire in 2019.[11] In September 2018 Maxim announced that it would operate the plant at full capacity until the end of 2019, and at 9% capacity for ten years after that.[12] On Dec. 31, 2019 Unit 1 was converted to run at 9% capacity on a 50/50 mixture of gas and bituminous coal.[13]
As of June 2023, the Maxim Power website stated that Unit 1 (also referred to as Milner 1 or M1) was being repowered as part of the combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) expansion project at the station's gas-fired M2 unit (see below). According to the website, "...steam generated by waste heat and supplementary gas-firing from M2 will be sent to M1 to generate approximately 96 MW of incremental low-carbon power."[14]
In October 2023, the completion of the M2 CCGT expansion project concluded the coal-to-gas conversion at the power station.[15]
Proposed unit
In 2011 the Alberta Utilities Commission approved the construction of a new 500 MW supercritical steam generator unit at the power station.[16]
The proposal was considered controversial as the approval was given just in time to allow construction to be completed before new federal regulations, which would essentially prevent new coal plant construction without carbon capture and storage, were put into place.[17]
In the wake of new federal regulations governing greenhouse gas emissions introduced in 2012, Maxim Power applied to change the new unit from one 500 MW coal-fired generator to two 260 MW natural gas fired generators. This application was approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission in June 2014.[18]
According to Q2 2022 financial reports, Maxim expected the commissioning of a 204 MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine expansion (referred to as M2) by December 2022. The total anticipated costs of the new unit were expected to be around $152.0 million. Maxim was also permitted to develop an additional 346 MW of gas-fired power generation at the location.[19]
In May 2023, Maxim Power updated the estimated completion date of their M2 CCGT expansion project to late 2023.[20]
In October 2023, the CCGT expansion of M2 was completed and began commercial operations. Maxim Power stated that "[t]his significant milestone completes the coal to gas energy transformation and repowering project at the Milner site which saw over $300 million of investment and successfully converted the legacy 150 MW coal-fired facility into a 300 MW CCGT facility."[15]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240125141633/https://maximpowercorp.com/wp-content/uploads/NewsRelease_2023_Oct24.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20221130134650/https://maximpowercorp.com/hr-milner-generating-station/. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 https://web.archive.org/web/20240125013324/https://www.milnerpower.com/. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 https://web.archive.org/web/20221130134650/https://maximpowercorp.com/hr-milner-generating-station/. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20221130134940/https://maximpowercorp.com/power-projects/. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20221130125332/https://maximpowercorp.com/corporate-strategy/. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20221130134940/https://maximpowercorp.com/power-projects/. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://maximpowercorp.com/wp-content/uploads/Q2_2023_FinancialStatements.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "HR Milner Generating Station," Milner Power, accessed May 2016
- ↑ "Alberta's power market 'upside down,' exec says as Maxim Power shuts down plant," Calgary Herald, Mar 30, 2016
- ↑ "Alberta Power Market Changes," Solar Plantation, Mar 26, 2017
- ↑ 1 Electric Utility That’s Poised to Soar, The Motley Fool, Sep. 17, 2018
- ↑ H.R. Milner Generating Station, Wikipedia, accessed June 2020
- ↑ Maxim Power website, accessed June 9, 2023
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Maxim Power Corp. Successfully Completes Commissioning of the CCGT Expansion of M2," Maxim Power, October 24, 2023
- ↑ "H.R. Milner Power Plant Expansion," Maxim Power Corp., August 10, 2011
- ↑ "Green groups challenge Alberta over coal plant expansion," CBC News, Aug 02, 2011
- ↑ "520-megawatt Natural Gas-fired Power Plant," Maxim Power Corporation, June 4, 2014
- ↑ "Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statements of MAXIM POWER CORP. for the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2022 ," Maxim Power Corporation, August 11, 2022
- ↑ "Maxim Power Corp. Announces 2023 First Quarter Financial and Operating Results," Maxim Power, May 9, 2023
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.
