Susitna power station
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Susitna power station is an announced power station in Matanuska-Susitna, Alaska, United States.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Susitna power station | Matanuska-Susitna, Alaska, United States | 61.781977, -151.661459 (approximate)[1] |
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 | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | announced[1] | coal - unknown, bioenergy - unknown[1] | 400[1] | unknown | – | – |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner |
|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Flatlands Energy Corp [100.0%] |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): Domestic
Background
Flatlands Energy Corp. proposed building a 400 MW coal- and biomass-fired power plant in the Susitna River valley region. The power plant, if built, will serve as one source of carbon emissions for carbon capture and storage (CCS) testing and provide electricity to the Alaska Railbelt region.[2][3]
As of December 2023, Flatlands Energy was "advancing feasibility" of the power plant and would provide a cost share of US$68,736 toward a CCS study (see below).[2]
In February 2024, a feasibility study was published by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Institute of Northern Engineering and the University of North Dakota's Energy & Environmental Research Center. The study assumed that the power station would be built off the West Susitna Access Road near "proven coal reserves" held by Flatlands Energy.[4][5] The feasibility study drew criticism from some commentators who questioned its assumptions about use of the controversial West Susitna Access Road, the estimated costs of fuel and the power plant, and the efficacy of CCS technology.[6][7][5]
Alaska Railbelt Carbon Capture and Storage Project
In November 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a US$9 million cooperative agreement for the Alaska Railbelt Carbon Capture and Storage (ARCCS) project, to be led by researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.[3][8]
The ARCCS project would reportedly "examine the viability of a major carbon “storage complex” in Southcentral Alaska, likely at the mostly-depleted Beluga River gas field west of Anchorage" in the Cook Inlet Basin.[3] CO2 captured from the proposed Susitna power station would be carried in a 60-mile pipeline to Beluga and then injected into a "geologic storage complex." In addition, the CCS project will include a study examining the technical and economic feasibility of capturing CO2 emissions from two gas-fired power plants in the Anchorage area, the George M Sullivan Generation Plant 2 and the Southcentral power project.[2]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240212224811/https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24237700/doe-proposal.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 February 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "CARBONSAFE PHASE II PROJECT READINESS - Alaska Railbelt Carbon Capture and Storage (ARCCS) Project," University of Alaska Fairbanks, December 2023
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Could a new Alaska coal power plant be climate friendly? An $11 million study aims to find out," Anchorage Daily News, December 29, 2023
- ↑ "Cook Inlet Region Low Carbon Power Generation with Carbon Capture, Transport, and Storage Feasibility Study," University of Alaska Fairbanks Institute of Northern Engineering, University of North Dakota's Energy & Environmental Research Center, February 28, 2024
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "UAF study calls for a coal-fired power plant in Southcentral Alaska," Anchorage Daily News, March 10, 2024
- ↑ "OPINION: Mat-Su coal plant study relies on faulty assumptions," Anchorage Daily News, March 21, 2024
- ↑ "Even subsidies and unproven technology aren’t enough to make West Susitna coal power make sense," Alaska Energy Blog, March 16, 2024
- ↑ "Biden-Harris Administration Invests $444 Million to Strengthen America’s Infrastructure for Permanent Safe Storage of Carbon Dioxide Pollution," U.S. Department of Energy, November 14, 2023
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.
