Jim Bridger Plant Point of Rocks, Wyoming
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Jim Bridger Plant
Point of Rocks, Wyoming
Jim Bridger Plant is named for the renowned The coal is crushed and transported by a four-mile-long
conveyor belt from the Bridger Mine to the plant and by
explorer and mountain man, John “Jim” Bridger.
train from the Black Butte Mine. Here, fuel handlers mix
His pioneering spirit is alive
and blend coal from different seams to gain
today in the way this power optimum blend for a clean, efficient fuel.
facility has responded to its Once blended, the coal is conveyed inside
role as a low-cost energy the plant. There, pulverizers grind the coal to
producer, resource manager a talcum powder consistency. This mixture
and environmental steward. fuels the boiler. At full load, all four units will
consume 1,100 tons of coal per hour.
Energy, a natural resource The boiler heats water to produce steam that
is superheated and conducted to the turbine,
A massive amount of energy is held by
driving the electric generator.
nature beneath the rugged, beautiful face
of Wyoming: oil, gas, uranium, coal. Electricity produced leaves the plant on
345,000-volt transmission lines to enter the
That geologic legacy is the foundation of what today is one
regional power grid.
of the largest electric generating complexes in the Rocky
Mountain area: the coal-fueled Jim Bridger steam-electric plant. Spent steam is condensed back into water using cooling
towers (from which billow large clouds of white water
Sub-bituminous coal stretches out for miles just beneath
vapor, giving the plant one of its most distinctive hallmarks).
the surface of southwestern Wyoming; the product of
forests and swamps changed by time into vast coal seams. The cooled water then returns to the boiler to start the
process all over again. Water for the plant comes from the
It is the energy locked in that coal that enables this facility
Green River through a 50-mile-long pipeline.
to produce up to 2,119,000 kilowatts of electricity per hour
from four generating units. That electricity serves people
throughout the West. To get the job done requires the talents Engineered for the environment
of nearly 350 skilled and dedicated Wyoming residents. At every step of production, the Jim Bridger Plant
exemplifies an emphasis on environmental stewardship. On
People, power and production the mining side, the surface mines near the plant are subject
to rigorous reclamation. What was grazing land before,
Converting coal into electric energy available at the flip
returns to grazing land. The land is restored to original or
of a switch can be described in just a few words: coal is
better condition. Nesting platforms are installed for hawks.
burned to produce high-pressure steam that spins large
Natural grass and shrub seed is planted for cattle and
turbine-generators, which produce electricity. In practice,
wildlife grazing.
this process requires a complex blending of systems.
Four operating units, each with a 2,800-degree furnace,
produce 1,000-degree steam, which turn turbines. At full
load, the four turbines generate enough electricity to light
three cities the size of Salt Lake City. To accomplish this
task takes a well-trained workforce operating as a team
24-hours a day.
Coal, the starting point
The production process begins with the extraction of
coal from mines located just a few miles from the plant.
How electricity is made at Jim Bridger Plant
HOT REHEAT
COAL SILO
COLD REHEAT
TRANSMISSION LINE
COAL FROM MINE
STEAM
ECONOMIZER
EXCITER GENERATOR
ELECTROSTATIC
PRECIPITATOR
TURBINE SCRUBBER
FEEDER STACK
MAIN
TRANSFORMER
BOILER AIR PREHEATER
INDUCED DRAFT FAN
CONDENSER
BOTTOM ASH
FORCED DRAFT FAN
PULVERIZER PRIMARY AIR SUPPLY
FLY ASH
COOLING TOWER BOILER FEED PUMP
The power production process meets Wyoming’s tough
air and water quality standards.
A by-product of coal burning is fine fly ash, which
is removed from the stream of hot gasses by use of
electrostatic precipitators. These precipitators trap 99.3
percent of the fly ash, much of which is marketed to the
concrete industry.
Jim Bridger coal is low in sulfur content. Sulfur dioxide,
another by-product of combustion, is removed by scrubbers
from all four units.
In addition, Jim Bridger is constantly improving the
containment of airborne dust through such actions as
paving roads and sealing coal stockpiles. There is also strong
emphasis placed on recycling of materials and seeking new
ways to constructively deal with environmental issues as
they arise.
Jim Bridger at a glance Sponsoring companies: PacifiCorp Energy, Idaho Power Company Generating capacity: 2,119,000 kilowatts per hour in four units Fuel: Sub-bituminous coal is delivered to the plant by an overland conveyor from the Bridger Mine. Coal is also transported by unit train from the Black Butte Mine. Coal reserves: The Jim Bridger field has usable reserves of 140 million tons of low-sulfur coal. Plant operating personnel: 350 people are employed at the Jim Bridger Plant. Chimneys: Each of the generating units has a chimney 500 feet high. Water supply: The water supply necessary to operate the plant is delivered from the Green River through a 50-mile steel pipeline to a reservoir at the plant site. Boilers: Each of the four boilers is designed to produce 3,980,000 pounds of steam per hour at a throttle pressure of 2,400 PSI. Each consumes 275 tons of coal per hour. Per year, on average 8 million tons of coal are used. The boilers are 240 feet tall. Turbine-generators: Each of the turbine-generators has a nameplate rating of 555,100 gross kilowatts. The units are 131 feet long and weigh approximately 1 million pounds each. Completion dates: Unit 1: November 1974, capacity currently 535,000 net kilowatts Unit 2: December 1975, capacity currently 527,000 net kilowatts Unit 3: September 1976, capacity currently 527,000 net kilowatts Unit 4: December 1979, capacity currently 530,000 net kilowatts
Power network C A N A D A
W A S H I N G T O N
CHEHALIS
LEWIS RIVER PROJECT
YAKIMA M O N T A N A
ASTORIA MARENGO 1
TOPPENISH MARENGO II
SUNNYSIDE DAYTON
SEASIDE
GOODNOE HILLS
WALLA WALLA
PORTLAND HOOD RIVER
HERMISTON
LINCOLN CITY PENDLETON
LEANING JUNIPER 1 COLSTRIP
DALLAS
E A N
ENTERPRISE
INDEPENDENCE
ALBANY STAYTON
SALMON
CORVALLIS LEBANON MADRAS
SWEET HOME
JUNCTION CITY LOVELL
REDMOND PRINEVILLE
CRESWELL BEND CODY
COTTAGE GROVE BUFFALO
COOS BAY/NORTH BEND O R E G O N WYODAK
ROSEBURG NORTH UMPQUA PROJECT
I D A H O ST. ANTHONY WORLAND
BOISE
O C
COQUILLE GLENROCK
MYRTLE CREEK RIGBY ROLLING HILLS
ARCO THERMOPOLIS GLENROCK III
ROGUE RIVER PROJECT
SHELLEY
GRANTS PASS EAGLE POINT
W Y O M I N G
ROGUE RIVER DAVE JOHNSTON
RIVERTON
CENTRAL POINT ST. ANTHONY CASPER
KLAMATH FALLS PINEDALE DOUGLAS
CAVE JUNCTION MEDFORD LANDER
LAVA HOT SPRINGS
LAKEVIEW BIG PINEY
KLAMATH RIVER PROJECT DUNLAP I
CRESCENT CITY MONTPELIER
YREKA BEAR RIVER PROJECT
P A C I F I C
SEVEN MILE HILL
MALAD CITY
PRESTON SEVEN MILE HILL II
LAKETOWN KEMMERER JIM BRIDGER
MT. SHASTA SMITHFIELD RAWLINS
HIGH PLAINS
TREMONTON NAUGHTON MCFADDEN RIDGE I
ROCK SPRINGS
FOOTE CREEK I
LITTLE MOUNTAIN GREEN RIVER LARAMIE
OGDEN
Rocky Mountain Power and Pacific Power EVANSTON
service area LAYTON
Idaho Power Company service area GADSBY SALT LAKE CITY
C A L I F O R N I A Thermal plants
WEST VALLEY CITY
TOOELE
PARK CITY
MIDVALE CRAIG HAYDEN
DRAPER VERNAL
Gas-fueled thermal plants LAKE SIDE AMERICAN FORK
PLEASANT GROVE
N E Wind
V projects
A D A OREM
SANTAQUIN CARBON
Geothermal plants
CURRANT
Coal plants CREEK MORONI PRICE
HUNTINGTON
Principal communities served DELTA
C O L O R A D O
PacifiCorp-owned
P transmission lines GUNNISON CASTLE DALE
HUNTER
SALINA
Transmission
Tr access
Other
O transmission RICHFIELD
BLUNDELL MOAB
MILFORD
U T A H
PANGUITCH
CEDAR CITY
BLANDING
LA VERKIN
IVINS
PacifiCorp is one of the lowest-cost electricity producers in the United States, providing approximately 1.7 million customers
in the West with reliable, efficient energy. PacifiCorp operates as Rocky Mountain Power in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho, and CHOLLA NO. 4
A R I Z O N A
as Pacific Power in Oregon, Washington and California. PacifiCorp’s electric generation, commercial and energy trading, and
N E W M E X I C O
mining functions are operated as PacifiCorp Energy.
For more company information, please visit pacificorp.com and idahopower.com.
Recreation on the Jim Bridger Reservoir
Generating recreation opportunities with the same approximately 35 miles east of Rock Springs, Wyoming,
resources we use to generate power is one additional our facilities provide river and reservoir fishing, picnicking
way we provide for the community. and hiking opportunities.
The recreation opportunities along the Jim Bridger Visit pacificorp.com/recreation for details about recreation
Reservoir are open year round for day use. Located amenities – and any fees – at our recreation areas.
01/11 PC © 2011 PacifiCorp
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