The utility said it planned to exit the Colstrip project in Montana by 2030; begin the process of a coal-to-gas conversion of Jim Bridger Units 1, 2, 3 and 4 in Rock Springs, Wyoming, for completion by 2030; continue the process of coal-to-gas conversion of Naughton Units 1 and 2 in Kemmerer, Wyoming, for completion by 2026; and retire Dave Johnston Units 1, 2 and 3 in Glenrock, Wyoming, in 2027 and 2028.

The company also proposed the following resource additions:

• 9,111 MW of new wind resources.

• 8,095 MW of storage resources, including batteries co-located with solar generation, standalone batteries and pumped hydro storage resources.

• 7,855 MW of new solar resources (most paired with battery storage).

• 4,953 MW of capacity saved through energy efficiency programs.

• 929 MW of capacity saved through direct load control programs.

• 500 MW of advanced nuclear (the Natrium reactor demonstration project) in 2030, with an additional 1,000 MW of advanced nuclear over the long term.

• 1,240 MW of non-emitting peaking resources that meet high-demand energy needs.

The Natrium nuclear demonstration project would be sited at the Naughton facility in Wyoming. PacifiCorp said that with recent federal legislation and studies on the opportunities of a coal-to-nuclear energy transition, technology developer TerraPower and PacifiCorp “remain committed to bringing the Natrium technology” to market to benefit grid reliability and stability.

The 2023 IRP portfolio includes new resources first identified from the 2020 All-Source Request for Proposals (RFP). Those projects include 1,792 MW of wind, 495 MW of solar additions with 200 MW of battery storage capacity, all expected to come online in the 2024-to-2025 timeframe. 

The preferred portfolio also includes acquiring and repowering the Rock River I (50 MW) and Foote Creek II-IV (43 MW) wind projects in Wyoming. Through the end of 2026, the 2021 IRP portfolio includes an additional 745 MW of wind and another 600 MW solar co-located with storage. The utility’s 2022 all source RFP is evaluating resources to meet those target.

In addition to the 500 MW Natrium demonstration nuclear project, the latest IRP proposal includes 1,000 MW of additional advanced nuclear resources by 2032. Through 2037, the portfolio would add 1,240 MW of non-emitting peaking resources. 

PacifiCorp said that advancing these two technologies “will be critical to the planned transition of our coal resources” to minimize impacts on employees and communities.

The federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) said it considers the Lila Canyon Mine fire to be an “emergency that necessitates an emergency response.” It said that if the fire is not contained shortly, a “high risk exists” that the mine would have to shut down permanently. 

Lila Canyon produces 3.47 million tons of coal per year, about 28% of Utah’s total coal. Around 40% of its coal is delivered to the 1,472 MW Hunter and the 996 MW Huntington power plants, which generated a combined 15,513 GWh in 2021.

Spontaneous combustion is not unusual for coal in western states like Utah and Colorado. The fires can lead to a mine’s permanent closure, particularly if water is used to flood a mine.

BLM approved a plan for Emery County Coal Resources, Inc., to take measures on 7.3 surface acres to fight the fire, which is near Price, Utah. 

Plans call for drill pads, boreholes, road improvements, and a temporary above-ground water pipeline to help fight the fire. 

In late September, Emery County Coal determined from air sampling and visual data that cutting off oxygen in the mine prevented the fire from spreading, but that it continues to smolder.

Emery asked BLM in an emergency request for approval to drill more boreholes to seal the burn area from the surface, dewater one section of the mine to flood the burn area, and conduct additional atmospheric monitoring.

Advanced nuclear company TerraPower and utility PacifiCorp want to bring five additional advanced nuclear reactors to the western U.S. by 2035.

The announcement Oct. 27 kicks off a joint study by the partners to evaluate deploying TerraPower’s Natrium reactor and integrated energy storage systems to PacifiCorp’s service territory – which includes Oregon, Washington, California, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.

With partner GE-Hitachi, Bill Gates-founded TerraPower plans to build the natrium reactor system in Kemmerer, a southwestern Wyoming city of 2,600 where the coal-fired Naughton power plant operated by PacifiCorp subsidiary Rocky Mountain Power is set to close in 2025. The Wyoming reactor will get about half its funding from the federal government.

Proponents of the project, featuring a 345 MW sodium-cooled fast reactor and molten salt-based energy storage, say it would perform better, be safer and cost less than traditional nuclear power.

The high-operating temperature of the Natrium reactor, coupled with thermal energy storage, would allow the plant to provide flexible electric output that complements variable renewable generation such as wind and solar.

The joint study to come will evaluate, among other things, the potential for advanced reactors to be located near current fossil-fired generation sites, enabling PacifiCorp to repurpose existing generation and transmission assets.

The specific locations of the future Natrium plants will be thoroughly explored through this study process. TerraPower said the partners will engage with local communities before any final sites are selected. 

A Department of Energy (DOE) study found hundreds of coal power plant sites could convert to nuclear, dramatically increasing dispatchable, carbon-free energy as the country strives to meet its net-zero emissions goal by 2050.

According to the DOE study, a coal-to-nuclear transition could increase nuke capacity in the U.S. to more than 350 GW.

“With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and recent studies on the opportunities of a coal-to-nuclear energy transition, the role for advanced nuclear is clear,” said TerraPower in a released statement.

🚨NEWS🚨TerraPower and @PacifiCorp announced today a MOU to explore the deployment of up to 5 additional Natrium™ reactor and integrated energy storage systems in the PacifiCorp service territory by 2035.

Read the full announcement here: https://t.co/u5sAeS3YJu

— TerraPower (@TerraPower) October 27, 2022