| Cholla Power Plant | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Joseph City, Arizona |
| Coordinates | 34°56′25″N110°18′01″W / 34.94028°N 110.30028°W /34.94028; -110.30028 |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | Unit 1: 1962 Unit 2: 1978 Unit 3: 1980 Unit 4: 1981 |
| Decommission date | Unit 2: 2016 Unit 4: 2020 |
| Owners | Units 1–3:Arizona Public Service Unit 4:PacifiCorp |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Subbituminous coal |
| Turbine technology | Steam turbine |
| Cooling source | Artificial Cholla Lake |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity | 1,021MW |
| External links | |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
TheCholla Power Plant is a 1.02-gigawatt (1,021MW),coal power plant nearJoseph City, Arizona, United States. The plant is jointly owned byArizona Public Service (APS) andPacifiCorp. The plant began operations in 1962.
The coal burned at the plant came mostly from theMcKinley Mine, located east ofWindow Rock, Arizona inNew Mexico, until the mine was closed in 2009 after its reserves being leased were exhausted.[1] In 2010, theEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) notified Cholla that pollution controls were needed for Units 2 through 4.[2] Unit 2 was retired in 2016 as the cost to add pollution controls outweighed the benefits. The remaining units were to be either retired or converted to burn another fuel source by 2025.[3] In January 2020, it was announced that PacifiCorp would close unit 4 by the end of the year. APS announced that while a conversion to natural gas had been an option, it was no longer being considered. A proposal was put forth to convert a unit to burn biomass, however regulators at theArizona Corporation Commission voted down that plan in 2019.[4]
The plant currently consists of the following units:[5]
| Unit | Nameplate capacity (MWe) | Commissioning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 113.6 | 1962 | Retirement scheduled for 2025 |
| 2 | 288.9 | 1978 | Retired April 2016 |
| 3 | 312.3 | 1980 | Retirement scheduled for 2025 |
| 4 | 414 | 1981 | Retired December 24th, 2020[6] |
