Mount Tom Power Plant to Go Off the Grid in 2016
March 7th, 2013
HOLYOKE, Mass. (WGGB) — Mount Tom Station, a coal fired powerplant in Holyoke, will be exiting the wholesale capacity market for 2016.
New England’s electrical grid and systems operator, ISO New England, accepted a de-list bid from the owner, meaning the plant will not have to run or recieve any payments from the market.
The plant can still be paid for electricity it produces. However, the act means the owner, GDF Suez, likely believes it won’t be economical for the plant to run during that span.
De-listing has led to retirement for at least two other coal plants in the state.
We could have a nice clean gas-fired one in Westfield by then.
Nothing to see here folks. Just another power plant closing. Just more jobs lost. Just one step closer to being unable to supply our population with electricity. I noticed nothing was mentioned in the report about why the plant is closing. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the EPA and the administrations goals to shut these plants down.
Good news. Coal-fired power plants like Mount Tom are horrible for the environment, and replacing them with renewable and less dirty (natgas) energy sources will benefit the regions air supply and the planet in general.
Actually Thomas, I work in the power plant industry and with the new technology we have and the cleaner coal we burn compared to many years ago, your car pollution is more that many coal plants. There are strict regulations we must adhere to or get fined heavily. And all our monitoring equipment runs 24/7. Plus 42% of our electricity comes from coal. The size of that turbine and amount of electricity they put out is going to be hard to replace. Gas fired plants are nice and burn almost completely clean. But coal plants have air scrubbers too. But cost of gas is a lot more than coal. You people say good but many good people there will lose their job because of tree huggers! I’ve worked there as a contractor and many older people there that have worked there for 30 years and make really good money. How are they going to find a job to replace this one? I have to travel because too many people protest power plants. Especially now, when tractor trailers sitting at rest stop pollute more
Do you know how much money was invested in that plant less than five years ago! It would make you sick!!!!!!
Plus the coal we burn now is a low sulfur coal. China gets all our nasty coal
Don’t worry though I’m sure that none of the cost was passed on to customers.
Millions with their new scrubber and other work. But that was all paid for by gdf Suez north America. We didn’t pay a dime for it
Actually truth the cost isn’t passed onto the customer. Power plants bid on the price of electrical supply set forth by ISO. Right now its $.07 /kW. The company takes the hit and hopes to make it back throughout the year.
The company I work for lost over 12 million because the drop in price ISO will pay for us to make electricity. Which affected our ability to make all the repairs we need to. One pump ran us $100000 to repair.
I never understood the logic that costs aren’t passed on to the consumer. There is no magic money tree. The closing of coal plays around the country is going to cost those of us who actually pay for utilizes and pay taxes. I am fortunate enough to have alternate power, so I almost look forward to the liberals roughing through the brownouts when they start happening.
Plants. Not plays.
You and I are not the customer of the power plants. ISO tells us how much they will pay us for the generation of electricity. Many plants close because the price of electricity is too low and cost to keep plant running too high. ISO and the electric companies are the ones that determine what we pay. The power plants just provide the electricity, not control the cost. Just like if you had a power source at home and backfed into the grid by accident. They would have to pay you for that, which has happened before.
We are subject to the DEP, the tree huggers, the government, ….all sorts of things affect power plants. But before people bi#ch they need to look at themselves. Do they produce a lot of trash to over fill landfills or go to incinerators, do they use a lot of electricity, what do they drive? Most liberal tree huggers are hippocrates that preach embodiment but do worse! Perfect example…look at the Prius and the battery….find out how that battery is made, what they do to the earth to get materials for battery, and how to dispose of it! Damn tree huggers!
Your right Sean you can’t even install solar panels or wind turbines without somebody bitching. They are so used to the magical power that comes from thin air to power their houses.
lol