Martin Lake Power Plant

Martin Lake Power Plant is a 2,250-megawatt coal power plant located southwest of Tatum, Texas, in Rusk County, Texas.[1] The plant is owned by Luminant.[2] It began operations in 1977. The plant is also served by the Luminant owned Martin Lake Line, shuttling coal from nearby as well as the Powder River Basin in Wyoming via BNSF.

Martin Lake Power Plant
Martin Lake Power Plant viewed from Martin Creek Lake State Park
CountryUnited States
LocationRusk County, Texas
Coordinates32°15′42″N 94°33′53″W
StatusOperational
Commission dateUnit 1: 1977
Unit 2: 1978
Unit 3: 1979
Owner(s)Luminant, a division of Vistra Corp
Thermal power station
Primary fuelCoal (Lignite)
Cooling sourceMartin Lake
Power generation
Nameplate capacity2,250 MW

History

The plant consists of three units. Unit 1 was commissioned in 1977, Unit 2 in 1978, and Unit 3 in 1979. All three, when first activated, had a capacity of 750 MW.[3][4][5] Plans for a fourth, 858 MW coal unit at Martin Lake was formally cancelled in 1986.[5][6] A man-made lake was created for the plant's cooling source.[7] Martin Lake was retrofitted with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems by Fluor in 2008 to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.[8][9]

Martin Lake receives its energy from nearby lignite mines and coal from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming.[2] Martin Lake used to receive lignite from the Oak Hill and Beckville Mines in nearby Rusk and Panola Counties until their closures.[10]

One of Martin Lake's units was idled in September 2013 due to low electricity prices.[11] The unit was restarted in March 2014 as electricity prices rose during the 2014 North American cold wave.[12]

Incidents

In February 2017, a contractor died in an accident at the site.[13]

See also

References
  1. "Power Generation Report". Public Utility Commission of Texas. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  2. "Martin Lake" (PDF). Luminant. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  3. "Power plant's appetite for lignite is ravenous". Big Spring Herald. May 22, 1977. p. 9A. Retrieved February 15, 2018 – via https://newspaperarchive.com/. {{cite news}}: External link in |via= (help)
  4. "Lignite-fueled power plants producing 35% of TP&L electricity". The Houston County Courier. May 4, 1978. p. 21. Retrieved February 15, 2018 – via https://newspaperarchive.com/. {{cite news}}: External link in |via= (help)
  5. "New Electric Generating Plants in Texas Since 1995" (PDF). Public Utility Commission of Texas. December 31, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  6. "New Estimates Announced for Nuclear Plant". Grandview Tribune. December 5, 1986. p. 10. Retrieved February 15, 2018 – via https://newspaperarchive.com/. {{cite news}}: External link in |via= (help)
  7. "Martin Creek Lake State Park History". Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  8. Nastu, Paul (February 19, 2008). "Luminant Details Emissions Reduction Plan". Environmental Leader. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  9. "Fluor to provide air quality upgrades". Power Engineering. April 17, 2008. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  10. Isaac, Jimmy Daniell (October 17, 2016). "Luminant closing Oak Hill mine, laying off 132 workers by Dec. 16". Longview News-Journal. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  11. Henry, Terrence (September 20, 2013). "A Changing Market and Dim Future for Coal in Texas". State Impact. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  12. "Luminant will reopen 3 coal-fired plants ahead of schedule". Power Engineering. February 5, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  13. "One person dead after accident at the Martin Lake Power Plant in Tatum". WLOX. February 18, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2017.


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