| Atikokan Generating Station | |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Location | Atikokan,Ontario |
| Coordinates | 48°50′17″N91°34′15″W / 48.83806°N 91.57083°W /48.83806; -91.57083 |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | 1985 (1985) (coal-fired) 2014 (biomass-fired) |
| Owner | Ontario Power Generation |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Woodbiomass (2014) |
| Turbine technology | Steam turbine |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity | 205 MW |
| External links | |
 | |
Atikokan Generating Station is abiomass power plant owned byOntario Power Generation (OPG) located 8 km (5 mi) north ofAtikokan,Ontario (190 km (118 mi) west ofThunder Bay). The plant employs 90 people. The Atikokan Generating Station began operation as acoal fired station in 1985 and underwent an overhaul in the autumn of 2003.
Until 2012, it had one coal-fueled generating unit with lownitrogen oxide (NOx) burners, providing a peak output of 230MW fuelled by low-sulfurlignite coal from theRavenscrag Formation in SouthernSaskatchewan.[1]
In late 2012, the facility powered down and underwent renovations, due to the Ontario government's initiative to eliminate all coal-fired electricity generation.[2] It is the first generating station to be converted by OPG to be fueled by biomass,[3] and is North America's largest purely biomass-fueled power plant.[4] The conversion came at a cost ofC$200 million, and the plant was re-opened on 10 September 2014.[4][5][6]
Annual production at the plant is approximately 900 millionkilowatt-hours (kWh), enough energy to supply approximately 70,000 households for one year. The station occupies an area of 300 ha (741 acres). The plant'schimney is 145 m (476 ft) tall, and the steam temperature is 538 °C (1,000 °F). This plant is connected to the provincial power grid via several 230,000-volt transmission lines.
| Greenhouse gas | Sum (tonnes) | Sum (tonnesCO2e*) |
|---|---|---|
| CO2 | 46,684 | 46,684 |
| CH4 | 1.22 | 26 |
| N2O | 0.92 | 286 |
| Total | - | 46,996 |
*Calculated figures for CO2e are rounded to the nearest tonne.
| Year | Emissions (tonnes CO2e) |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 1,181,122 |
| 2005 | 1,108,437 |
| 2006 | 851,094 |
| 2007 | 754,148 |
| 2008 | 413,639 |
| 2009 | 200,393 |
| 2010 | 501,830 |
| 2011 | 78,078 |
| 2012 | 46,996 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 48,070 |
| 2016 | 29,219 |
| 2017 | 18,138 |
| 2018 | 19,645 |
| 2019 | 17,022 |
| 2020 | 17,104 |
