Appears Navajo Generation Station shutdown now a near certainty

[Trix]

Several articles published in last couple days detailing that the last potential buyer for NGS has backed out of their proposal. It appears that NGS will be shutdown in 2019. Recent articles didn't address when demolition will begin. Earlier articles stated that under the terms of the operators' lease with the tribe, the plant would be dismantled before the end of the lease, thus coming down early in 2019. The loss of jobs at NGS and the Peabody coal mine will be a tremendous blow to to the tribal community and the economy of Page. I hope Page can successfully rely almost entirely on the now booming tourist industry.

 

[Friends of Lake Powell]

Decommissioning is scheduled to start in December 2019.

 

[SKEETER]

Simply too bad... The "War on Coal" continues.
I hope that the folks in California enjoy eating their Sushi in the dark-

 

[Trix]

Well, I don't disagree about war on coal and that another round pollution controls was required. However, the CA participant at NGS bowed out awhile back and the shutdown decision was primarily driven by the lower cost of gas fired units.

 

[Pegasus]

Wow, this will be a big blow to Page and the Navajo reservation. I'm a free market guy and understand the cost of coal vs. natural gas is upside down now, but this is still very sad for the City and reservation.

 

[shanewave]

Skeeter, well put. I can't wait to leave California, and it just might happen sooner rather than later.

 

[Waterbaby]

We still need coal to make steel - and were going to need a lot of steel to get our bridges and other infrastructure back in shape.- and isn't Utah coal teh low ash, low sulphur coal? I believe it is which is why the original NAFTA agreement in the 90's called for Mexico to use Utah coal for their coal fired energy plants - it was to protect our environment here when the wind makes it's summer shift. I wonder why no one considered this before shutting down the plant. More steel plants are re-opening in the midwest, they will need clean coal.

74% of the steel produced today uses coal. Metallurgical coal – or coking coal – is a vital ingredient in the steel making process. Metallurgical coal is a grade of low-ash, low-sulfur and low-phosphorus coal that can be used to produce high grade coke. Coke is an essential fuel and reactant in the blast furnace process for primary steelmaking. The demand for metallurgical coal is highly coupled to the demand for steel.