Jim Bridger Steam Plant

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Jim Bridger Steam Plant is an operating power station of at least 2326-megawatts (MW) in Rock Springs, Sweetwater, Wyoming, United States.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Jim Bridger Steam Plant	Rock Springs, Sweetwater, Wyoming, United States	41.738081, -108.786556 (exact)

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

• Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4: 41.738081, -108.786556

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	CHP	Start year	Retired year
Unit 1, timepoint 1	Retired	coal: subbituminous	578	subcritical	no	1974	2024
Unit 1, timepoint 2	Operating	fossil gas: natural gas	578	steam turbine	no	2024	2037 (planned)
Unit 2, timepoint 1	Retired	coal: subbituminous	586	subcritical	no	1975	2024
Unit 2, timepoint 2	Operating	fossil gas: natural gas	586	steam turbine	no	2024	2037 (planned)
Unit 3, timepoint 1	Operating	coal: subbituminous	578	subcritical	not found	1976	2042 (planned)
Unit 3, timepoint 2	Cancelled	fossil gas: natural gas	578	steam turbine	not found	–	–
Unit 4, timepoint 1	Operating	coal: subbituminous	584	subcritical	not found	1979	2042 (planned)
Unit 4, timepoint 2	Cancelled	fossil gas: natural gas	584	steam turbine	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, timepoint 1	PacifiCorp [66%]; Idaho Power Co [33%]	Berkshire Hathaway Inc [66.7%]; IDACORP Inc [33.3%]
Unit 1, timepoint 2	PacifiCorp [66%]; Idaho Power Co [33%]	Berkshire Hathaway Inc [66.7%]; IDACORP Inc [33.3%]
Unit 2, timepoint 1	PacifiCorp [66%]; Idaho Power Co [33%]	Berkshire Hathaway Inc [66.7%]; IDACORP Inc [33.3%]
Unit 2, timepoint 2	PacifiCorp [66%]; Idaho Power Co [33%]	Berkshire Hathaway Inc [66.7%]; IDACORP Inc [33.3%]
Unit 3, timepoint 1	PacifiCorp [66%]; Idaho Power Co [33%]	Berkshire Hathaway Inc [66.7%]; IDACORP Inc [33.3%]
Unit 3, timepoint 2	PacifiCorp [66%]; Idaho Power Co [33%]	Berkshire Hathaway Inc [66.7%]; IDACORP Inc [33.3%]
Unit 4, timepoint 1	PacifiCorp [66%]; Idaho Power Co [33%]	Berkshire Hathaway Inc [66.7%]; IDACORP Inc [33.3%]
Unit 4, timepoint 2	PacifiCorp [66%]; Idaho Power Co [33%]	Berkshire Hathaway Inc [66.7%]; IDACORP Inc [33.3%]

Unit-level fuel conversion details:

Unit 1: Converted from coal to fossil gas in 2024.

Unit 2: Converted from coal to fossil gas in 2024.

Unit 3: Planned conversion from coal to fossil gas cancelled.

Unit 4: Planned conversion from coal to fossil gas cancelled.

Financing

• Owner: PacifiCorp (67%), Idaho Power (33%)

Retirement discussions

According to PacifiCorp's July 2019 draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), Units 1 and 2 were scheduled for retirement at the end of 2028 and 2032 respectively. In a separate update of the economic analysis of the coal fleet, PacifiCorp stated that both units 1 and 2 were identified as being less economic to operate beyond 2022 than alternatives, making them candidates for earlier retirement.

The company's final 2019 IRP, released in September 2019, planned for unit 1 to be retired in 2023, unit 2 in 2028, and units 3-4 in 2037.

Conversion of two units to fossil gas in 2024 appeared for the first time in the utility’s 2021 IRP, published in September 2021, in the midst of heated debate over compliance with EPA regulation and an impending December deadline. Switching to gas nullifies the coal-specific NOx control problem, but doing it in 2024 would mean a few years between the deadline and conversion.

In August 2022, a prolonged drought along the Colorado River was causing states to make critical decisions about water use. Dozens of coal plants, including the Jim Bridger Steam Plant, were at risk of being cut off from the water supply and therefore forced to shut down. While retirement was still not slated until 2037, the planned updates to the plant's technology would use significantly more water than before. Even with the current technology, it was unknown whether there was enough water to keep the operation online over the long term.

Coal-to-gas conversion

Unit 1 & 2

According to the application submitted to the Wyoming Public Service Commission to convert the Bridger power plant to gas in January 2023, the fuel conversion is expected to begin in November 2023. The company is planning to take Units 1 and 2 offline concurrently at the end of December 2023 for conversion and back in service in May 2024. Units 1 and 2 ceased coal operations as of December 31, 2023.

In April 2024, EPA proposed to approve the conversion of Units 1 and 2 to gas. The units are expected to be launched in 2024 and operate until a 2037 retirement.

Units 3 & 4

In March 2023, PacifiCorp's updated Integrated Resource Plan proposed converting Units 3 and 4 of the Jim Bridger Steam Plant to gas by 2030 rather than retiring the coal units by 2037. In April 2024, the company updated the Integrated Resource Plan once again and mentioned installation of the carbon capture technology on Units 3 and 4 rather than converting them to gas. The carbon capture technology will only extend the life of the two units by two years. The IRP states the two units would be retrofitted with the technology in 2028 and operate through 2039, when the two units would be retired. This plan extends the life of the two units to allow the company to capture a full 12 years of investment tax credits. The Wyoming Public Service Commissioner will review the updated proposal.

In their 2025 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), PacifiCorp indicated that they planned to install carbon capture technology on Units 3 and 4 by 2030 and retire the units in 2042.

Pressure for Cleaner Energy from PacifiCorp

In 2006, PacifiCorp announced its intention to build a 600-800 MW expansion at the same site.

On Jan. 18, 2007, the Oregon Public Utility Commission argued that PacifiCorp had failed to demonstrate a need for new coal-fired facilities in Wyoming and Utah. On June 7, PacifiCorp, based in Oregon, announced plans to build 1200 miles of transmission lines to connect the proposed plant to customers in three other states. The power produced at the Jim Bridger facility is primarily exported to the Northwest to supply power.

On Nov. 28, 2007, PacifiCorp notified the Utah Public Service Commission that it was no longer pursuing this project, due to “the time frame and the uncertainty around coal, based on climate change issues.” Ultimately, PacifiCorp is concerned about potential for clean energy projects in the quest to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Carbon Capture and Storage Storage

In January 2023, the Wyoming Public Service Commission approved an application from Rocky Mountain Power for a 0.3% "carbon capture compliance" surcharge on its customers starting in February 2023. The surcharge would be applied under the provisions of a 2020 law requiring coal plants to be retrofitted with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology as an alternative to closing. PacifiCorp was reportedly collecting bids from developers to potentially retrofit Units 3 and 4 at the Jim Bridger plant.

Emissions Data

• 2024 Gross Load (MWh): 5,095,805
• 2024 SO2 Mass (short tons): 3,972
• 2024 CO2 Mass (short tons): 5,590,241
• 2024 NOx Mass (short tons): 1,359
• 2023 Mercury emissions (Hg, lb): 79.37

Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Jim Bridger Steam 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. 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.

Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Jim Bridger Steam Plant

Type of Impact	Annual Incidence	Valuation
Deaths	37	$270,000,000
Heart attacks	57	$6,300,000
Asthma attacks	720	$3,700
Hospital admissions	26	$600,000
Chronic bronchitis	25	$11,000,000
Asthma ER visits	33	$12,000

Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011

Citizen groups

• Powder River Basin Resource Council
• Sierra Club Wyoming Chapter
• Wyoming Conservation Voters
• Wyoming Conservation Voters Education Fund
• Wyoming Outdoor Council

Articles and Resources

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.