Thunder Bay Generating Station
Encyclopedia
The Thunder Bay Generating Station is a coal fired station
owned by Ontario Power Generation
, located on Mission Island on the shore of Thunder Bay
, an inlet of Lake Superior
. The plant provides energy to parts of Thunder Bay District
in Northwestern Ontario
.
Thunder Bay Generating Station began operation in 1963, with one 100 MW
coal-fuelled generating unit. Two additional coal-fuelled units were added in the early 1980s, and in 1984 the original 100 MW unit was removed from service. This plant is connected to the power grid
via 115 Kv
and 230 Kv transmission line
s.
Its two coal-fuelled boilers provide a peak output of 326 MW fuelled by low sulphur lignite coal from Western Canada
and low sulphur sub-bituminous coal
from the Powder River Basin
in the United States
.
Annual production at the plant is approximately 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours (KWh), enough energy to supply over 100,000 households for one year. The station occupies 53 ha (131 acre) on Mission Island, at the mouth of the Kaministiquia River
delta
on Thunder Bay. The plant's chimney
is 198 m (650 ft) tall and the steam temperature is 538 °C (1,000 °F).
The plant will stop burning coal and be converted to natural gas
, as part of the Ontario government's commitment to phase out all of its coal-burning power generation by 2014.
.
*Calculated figures for CO2e are rounded to the nearest tonne.
Fossil fuel power plant
A fossil-fuel power station is a power station that burns fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas or petroleum to produce electricity. Central station fossil-fuel power plants are designed on a large scale for continuous operation...
owned by Ontario Power Generation
Ontario Power Generation
Ontario Power Generation is a public company wholly owned by the Government of Ontario. OPG is responsible for approximately 70% of the electricity generation in the Province of Ontario, Canada. Sources of electricity include nuclear, hydroelectric, solar, wind, and fossil fuel...
, located on Mission Island on the shore of Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay (Ontario)
Thunder Bay is a large bay on the north shore of Lake Superior. The bay is about 50 km long and 22 km wide. It is bordered to the east by the Sibley Peninsula at the southern tip of which is Thunder Cape, marking the entrance to the bay for ships approaching from the east...
, an inlet of Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
. The plant provides energy to parts of Thunder Bay District
Thunder Bay District, Ontario
Thunder Bay District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. The district seat is Thunder Bay....
in Northwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario
Northwestern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior, and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the Canadian province of Manitoba, which disputed Ontario's claim to the...
.
Thunder Bay Generating Station began operation in 1963, with one 100 MW
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
coal-fuelled generating unit. Two additional coal-fuelled units were added in the early 1980s, and in 1984 the original 100 MW unit was removed from service. This plant is connected to the power grid
Electric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
via 115 Kv
Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
and 230 Kv transmission line
Transmission line
In communications and electronic engineering, a transmission line is a specialized cable designed to carry alternating current of radio frequency, that is, currents with a frequency high enough that its wave nature must be taken into account...
s.
Its two coal-fuelled boilers provide a peak output of 326 MW fuelled by low sulphur lignite coal from Western Canada
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
and low sulphur sub-bituminous coal
Sub-bituminous coal
Sub-bituminous coal is a type of coal whose properties range from those of lignite to those of bituminous coal and are used primarily as fuel for steam-electric power generation.- Properties:...
from the Powder River Basin
Powder River Basin
The Powder River Basin is a geologic region in southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming, about east to west and north to south, known for its coal deposits. The region supplies about 40 percent of coal in the United States. It is both a topographic drainage and geologic structural basin...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Annual production at the plant is approximately 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours (KWh), enough energy to supply over 100,000 households for one year. The station occupies 53 ha (131 acre) on Mission Island, at the mouth of the Kaministiquia River
Kaministiquia River
The Kaministiquia River is a river which empties into western Lake Superior at the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Kaministiquia is an Ojibwe word meaning " with islands" due to two large islands at the mouth of the river...
delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
on Thunder Bay. The plant's chimney
Chimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
is 198 m (650 ft) tall and the steam temperature is 538 °C (1,000 °F).
The plant will stop burning coal and be converted to natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
, as part of the Ontario government's commitment to phase out all of its coal-burning power generation by 2014.
Emissions
The Thunder Bay Generating Station ranks within the top 200 facility emitters as of 2009, according to Environment CanadaEnvironment Canada
Environment Canada , legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC) (French: Environnement Canada), legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment...
.
| Greenhouse gas | Sum (tonne Tonne The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI... s) |
Sum (tonnes CO2e Carbon dioxide equivalent Carbon dioxide equivalent and Equivalent carbon dioxide are two related but distinct measures for describing how much global warming a given type and amount of greenhouse gas may cause, using the functionally equivalent amount or concentration of carbon dioxide as the reference.- Global warming... *) |
|---|---|---|
| CO2 Carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom... |
188,957.66 | 188,958 |
| CH4 Methane Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel... |
12.14 | 255 |
| N2O Nitrous oxide Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula . It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic... |
3.72 | 1,153 |
| Total | - | 190,356 |
*Calculated figures for CO2e are rounded to the nearest tonne.
| Year | Emissions (tonnes CO2e) |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 1,128,341 |
| 2005 | 1,159,003 |
| 2006 | 1,137,327 |
| 2007 | 712,571 |
| 2008 | 832,868 |
| 2009 | 190,366 |
See also
- Atikokan Generating StationAtikokan Generating StationAtikokan Generating Station is a coal fired station owned by Ontario Power Generation , located north of Atikokan, west of Thunder Bay, in Northwestern Ontario. The plant employs 90 people...
- Kakabeka Falls Generating StationKakabeka Falls Generating StationKakabeka Falls Generating Station is a hydroelectric facility operated by Ontario Power Generation on the bank of the Kaministiquia River, downstream from Kakabeka Falls in the community of Kakabeka Falls, Ontario, west of Thunder Bay. The plant provides energy to the city of Thunder Bay and area...
- List of power stations in Canada