Mount Tom Station

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Mount Tom Station is a retired power station in Holyoke, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Mount Tom Station Holyoke, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States 42.280631, -72.605497 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • Unit 1: 42.280631, -72.605497

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year Retired year
Unit 1 retired coal: bituminous 136 subcritical 1960 2014

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner Parent
Unit 1 Firstlight Power Resources [100%] ENGIE SA

Closure

In June 2014 GDF Suez said the plant, which has been in operation since 1960, will close in October 2014 after more than three years of on-and-off operation. GDF Suez spokesperson Carol Churchill said the Holyoke plant cannot compete with cheaper natural gas, and confirmed that the company will consider converting the plant to producing electricity from solar energy. In 2013 legislation enabled the state’s Clean Energy Center to allot $100,000 to Holyoke to work on shaping plans for reuse of the Mount Tom site in the event of its closing. GDF Suez had earlier sought approval to halt power production in 2016-17.[1]

Emissions Data

  • 2006 CO2 Emissions: 1,166,926 tons
  • 2006 SO2 Emissions:
  • 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
  • 2006 NOx Emissions:
  • 2005 Mercury Emissions:

In 2007, the Mount Tom station was the second largest source of pollution in Massachusetts.[2] The plant was the source of 489,104 pounds of the 26.7 million pounds of chemicals released in the state in 2007.[2]

Coal waste Sites

EPA Violations

According to New York Times compilation of 2009 EPA data the plant has violated the Clean Water Act 186 times without paying any fines.

In 2011, after a $55 million investment in pollution controls, the plant reached an agreement with the office of the state attorney general and the DEP to pay penalties for thousands of Clean Air Act violations from 2005 to 2010.[1]

Protests against Mount Tom

March 1, 2009: Activists rally against coal in Massachusetts

In solidarity with the Capital Climate Action on March 2, protests were held in Massachusetts at the Dominion's Salem Harbor and Brayton Point plants, NRG's Somerset plant, and Northeast Utilities' Mount Tom plant.[3] Approximately sixty people gathered at the Mount Tom plant in Holyoke.[3] In Salem, about forty people rallied and speakers, such as Aviva Chomsky, were featured; the event was organized by HealthLink.[3] In Somerset, seventy-five people rallied in a park within sight of both of the town's coal-fired power plants.[3]

Articles and Resources

References

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.