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Plans for Bowie Power Station advance
By Ainslee S. Wittig/Arizona Range News
SouthWestern Power Group is planning to begin construction in 2009 on the Bowie Power Station, which will incorporate advanced coal technology hailed for its environmental benefits, developers said. New developments also include planned housing and agricultural use of the land purchased for the project.
The facility, originally proposed as a natural gas-fueled 1,000-megawatt plant (in two phases) in 2001, is now aiming for a clean-coal fueled 600-megawatt plant opening in 2012.
Martin Bailey, business development manager for SouthWestern Power Group (SWPG), spoke about the plans for the facility at a Willcox Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture luncheon last Tuesday.
"In 2000, we looked at the site in Bowie, and (in 2001) we purchased 1,621 acres of land about two and a half miles north of Bowie for a natural gas-fueled plant. The cost of natural gas at that time was $2.50 to $3 per mm/BTU (million molecules per British thermal unit). By 2003, the price tripled. The project became uneconomical," Bailey said.
In September 2005, Tom Wray, general manager of the Phoenix-based SWPG and the developer of the project, began looking at converting the fuel to coal rather than natural gas because of the unstable cost of natural gas.
The concern was that natural-gas suppliers would pass cost increases on to the Bowie Power Station, and the utilities it sells power to don't want to have to pay more and pass it on to their customers, Wray said. They'd rather buy from a power station using a lower, more consistently priced fuel.
"This coal plant is unlike traditional coal plants. The process removes the sulfur and other harmful ingredients of the coal before it is burned, so it is a much cleaner process," said Ian Calkins, a spokesman for Bowie Power Station, from Copper State Consulting Group in Phoenix.
Bailey said SWPG has proposed zoning changes, which will be filed with Cochise County Planning and Zoning Commission in mid-December, to include 1,007 acres of planned development and 614 aces of heavy industry.
The planned development will include 160 acres for agricultural use by the University of Arizona, 324 acres for commercial agriculture (possibly a greenhouse).
The reason for a greenhouse, Bailey said, is the gas-fired boilers produce carbon dioxide, which can be pumped into the greenhouse for better plant production.
"We want to capture the CO2 before it is burned, causing global warming," he said.
Jim Graham, a pistachio grower in Cochise who was at the chamber meeting, said, "It's clear that you're in the power business, but to be foresighted enough to make use of the by-products, that piqued my interest."
It will also include 124 acres for residential and another 72 acres for an RV Park.
The residential/RV Park areas, Bailey said, will be for temporary housing during construction, which will take three and a half years, and employ 700-1,000 people, he said.
"When the plant is operational, we will change 435 spaces for the residential/RV temporary housing to 125 permanent single-family homes," he said.
"We expect to employ 120 to 150 people when operational. There will be some residential impact," Bailey said, adding that the company will contract security and fire emergency services.
Bailey said, "We're committed to the local economy. Buying and hiring locally is the philosophy of our company."
The company has done a labor study and they hope to be able to hire high-skilled labor and management positions locally.
Bailey said the company must amend their certificate of environmental compatibility and special use permit, as well as the air quality and aquifer protection permits. Those amendments should be accomplished by the end of 2007, according to the project timeline.
The facility will require a solid waste permit as well, which Bailey said in this case is more for byproduct storage because the company intends to "recycle 90 percent of everything that comes out of the plant."
"We can use 95 percent of the sulfur for fertilizer, and about 20 percent of the slag is suitable for cement fill," he said.
The facility will be based on a clean-coal technology called Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC). IGCC is cleaner than existing coal plants and offers power at a price that is more stable than natural gas plants, said Stan Barnes, also from Copper State Consulting Group.
"Bowie will significantly outperform the efficiency and emissions of existing coal power plants, which will make it one of the cleanest coal plants in the world. The project promises to accelerate nationwide deployment of advanced clean coal projects to help the industry meet the President's aggressive 2005 Energy Policy Act for coal fueled power generation," he said.
As explained in the Bowie Power Station's Website, www.BowiePower.com, the process for an IGCC plant is as follows.
"IGCC plants have two sources of power generation -- a combustion turbine-generator and a steam turbine-generator. The IGCC process takes pulverized coal and mixes it with water to produce coal slurry. The slurry is exposed to oxygen at high temperature and pressure, creates chemical reactions that produce a low BTU hydrogen-carbon monoxide synthesis gas (syngas). The combustion turbine-generator burns the syngas and generates power. Heat from the gasification process and exhaust from the combustion turbine-generator create steam that powers a steam turbine-generator, which also generates power."
There are currently two other IGCC plants in the U.S.: Polk Power Facility located in Tampa, Florida and owned by Tampa Electric, and Wabash Power Facility located in Indiana and owned by Global Energy.
Another advantage of the clean-coal design, Calkins said, is that it should use 25 percent less water in the whole process than the natural gas design.
Barnes added that the existing permitted gas turbines will be dual-fuel capable. Bowie plant can switch to a backup fuel (i.e. natural gas) when syngas is unavailable or co-fire when syngas is limited.
"We can't be subject to the volatile fuel market of natural gas. The stability of fuel process is what is moving this project," he said. "We have letters of intent (from consumers wanting to buy power) for about 70 percent of the output" of the 600 mw project, he said.
Bailey said the plant will also bring other economic benefits to the area.
Substantial property tax revenues will go to Cochise and Graham counties toward schools, fire districts, law enforcement, libraries and other local government needs.
"And because the new Bowie Power Station will become one of the single largest taxpayers in Cochise County, it also means other property taxpayers may see their tax bills go down," he said.
Bowie Power Station/SouthWestern Power Group has been involved in the communities of southeastern Arizona through numerous events and sponsorships, including being the major sponsor for Newspapers In Education with the Arizona Range News for five years.
"We view our role in the community as seriously as we take our business. We pledge to work directly with school districts, civic groups and community leaders to do all we can to support and strengthen the entire area," Bailey said. "I think Bowie Power Station is lighting the way for future generations."
Southwestern Power Group is a Phoenix-based privately held company that develops, and through affiliates, constructs, owns and operates power plants in the U.S. For more information, go to www.BowiePower.com.
The facility, originally proposed as a natural gas-fueled 1,000-megawatt plant (in two phases) in 2001, is now aiming for a clean-coal fueled 600-megawatt plant opening in 2012.
Martin Bailey, business development manager for SouthWestern Power Group (SWPG), spoke about the plans for the facility at a Willcox Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture luncheon last Tuesday.
"In 2000, we looked at the site in Bowie, and (in 2001) we purchased 1,621 acres of land about two and a half miles north of Bowie for a natural gas-fueled plant. The cost of natural gas at that time was $2.50 to $3 per mm/BTU (million molecules per British thermal unit). By 2003, the price tripled. The project became uneconomical," Bailey said.
In September 2005, Tom Wray, general manager of the Phoenix-based SWPG and the developer of the project, began looking at converting the fuel to coal rather than natural gas because of the unstable cost of natural gas.
The concern was that natural-gas suppliers would pass cost increases on to the Bowie Power Station, and the utilities it sells power to don't want to have to pay more and pass it on to their customers, Wray said. They'd rather buy from a power station using a lower, more consistently priced fuel.
"This coal plant is unlike traditional coal plants. The process removes the sulfur and other harmful ingredients of the coal before it is burned, so it is a much cleaner process," said Ian Calkins, a spokesman for Bowie Power Station, from Copper State Consulting Group in Phoenix.
Bailey said SWPG has proposed zoning changes, which will be filed with Cochise County Planning and Zoning Commission in mid-December, to include 1,007 acres of planned development and 614 aces of heavy industry.
The planned development will include 160 acres for agricultural use by the University of Arizona, 324 acres for commercial agriculture (possibly a greenhouse).
The reason for a greenhouse, Bailey said, is the gas-fired boilers produce carbon dioxide, which can be pumped into the greenhouse for better plant production.
"We want to capture the CO2 before it is burned, causing global warming," he said.
Jim Graham, a pistachio grower in Cochise who was at the chamber meeting, said, "It's clear that you're in the power business, but to be foresighted enough to make use of the by-products, that piqued my interest."
It will also include 124 acres for residential and another 72 acres for an RV Park.
The residential/RV Park areas, Bailey said, will be for temporary housing during construction, which will take three and a half years, and employ 700-1,000 people, he said.
"When the plant is operational, we will change 435 spaces for the residential/RV temporary housing to 125 permanent single-family homes," he said.
"We expect to employ 120 to 150 people when operational. There will be some residential impact," Bailey said, adding that the company will contract security and fire emergency services.
Bailey said, "We're committed to the local economy. Buying and hiring locally is the philosophy of our company."
The company has done a labor study and they hope to be able to hire high-skilled labor and management positions locally.
Bailey said the company must amend their certificate of environmental compatibility and special use permit, as well as the air quality and aquifer protection permits. Those amendments should be accomplished by the end of 2007, according to the project timeline.
The facility will require a solid waste permit as well, which Bailey said in this case is more for byproduct storage because the company intends to "recycle 90 percent of everything that comes out of the plant."
"We can use 95 percent of the sulfur for fertilizer, and about 20 percent of the slag is suitable for cement fill," he said.
The facility will be based on a clean-coal technology called Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC). IGCC is cleaner than existing coal plants and offers power at a price that is more stable than natural gas plants, said Stan Barnes, also from Copper State Consulting Group.
"Bowie will significantly outperform the efficiency and emissions of existing coal power plants, which will make it one of the cleanest coal plants in the world. The project promises to accelerate nationwide deployment of advanced clean coal projects to help the industry meet the President's aggressive 2005 Energy Policy Act for coal fueled power generation," he said.
As explained in the Bowie Power Station's Website, www.BowiePower.com, the process for an IGCC plant is as follows.
"IGCC plants have two sources of power generation -- a combustion turbine-generator and a steam turbine-generator. The IGCC process takes pulverized coal and mixes it with water to produce coal slurry. The slurry is exposed to oxygen at high temperature and pressure, creates chemical reactions that produce a low BTU hydrogen-carbon monoxide synthesis gas (syngas). The combustion turbine-generator burns the syngas and generates power. Heat from the gasification process and exhaust from the combustion turbine-generator create steam that powers a steam turbine-generator, which also generates power."
There are currently two other IGCC plants in the U.S.: Polk Power Facility located in Tampa, Florida and owned by Tampa Electric, and Wabash Power Facility located in Indiana and owned by Global Energy.
Another advantage of the clean-coal design, Calkins said, is that it should use 25 percent less water in the whole process than the natural gas design.
Barnes added that the existing permitted gas turbines will be dual-fuel capable. Bowie plant can switch to a backup fuel (i.e. natural gas) when syngas is unavailable or co-fire when syngas is limited.
"We can't be subject to the volatile fuel market of natural gas. The stability of fuel process is what is moving this project," he said. "We have letters of intent (from consumers wanting to buy power) for about 70 percent of the output" of the 600 mw project, he said.
Bailey said the plant will also bring other economic benefits to the area.
Substantial property tax revenues will go to Cochise and Graham counties toward schools, fire districts, law enforcement, libraries and other local government needs.
"And because the new Bowie Power Station will become one of the single largest taxpayers in Cochise County, it also means other property taxpayers may see their tax bills go down," he said.
Bowie Power Station/SouthWestern Power Group has been involved in the communities of southeastern Arizona through numerous events and sponsorships, including being the major sponsor for Newspapers In Education with the Arizona Range News for five years.
"We view our role in the community as seriously as we take our business. We pledge to work directly with school districts, civic groups and community leaders to do all we can to support and strengthen the entire area," Bailey said. "I think Bowie Power Station is lighting the way for future generations."
Southwestern Power Group is a Phoenix-based privately held company that develops, and through affiliates, constructs, owns and operates power plants in the U.S. For more information, go to www.BowiePower.com.
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