Brush power plant evacuated due to fire
Coal-burning plant shut down pending ‘further assessments,’ Xcel Energy says
The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that all non-essential personnel from the Pawnee Power Plant near Brush were being evacuated from the station, due to an uncontrolled coal fire in the live storage facility.
The fire began July 14, according to Brush Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Ray Uhrick, who said they were notified of the fire on July 19. There were 23,000 tons of coal in the storage facility where the fire is burning.
He said Savage Ser vices, the contractor that deals with electrical equipment and controls for the coal handling operations at the plant, had reported that a conveyor belt needed to move the coal outside the storage was inoperable, and as of Tuesday they were waiting on a part to repair it. Vac trucks were deployed Monday to remove coal from the live storage, and that operation was continuing Tuesday, Uhrick told The Fort Morgan Times.
Uhrick said the BVFD had received assistance from the Fort Morgan, Hillrose/Snyder and Wiggins departments as well.
The MCSO said Friday afternoon that the plant was going through shutdown procedures, but that should not affect local Xcel Energy customers as the Pawnee station does not power the immediate area.
“Morgan County Emergency Management, Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, Brush Volunteer Fire Department, Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Department of Public Safety and the Northeast Colorado Health Department are all working together regarding this emergency,” the release from MCSO states.
An emailed statement provided by Xcel Energy spokeswoman Michelle Aguayo Friday evening confirmed that the plant was taken offline Friday and that “all but a small number of essential employees (were asked) to leave the plant site” after the fire in the coal storage area intensified Friday morning.
“The coal storage area is in a separate building from the main plant,” the statement explained. It added that the plant will remain out of service “until further assessments are completed,” and that Xcel does not anticipate any disruption of electric service.
“The safety of our employees and people in the area is our top priority. We are taking steps to ensure everyone stays safe and we can get the plant back up and running as soon as possible,” the statement reads.
Due to the fire, Morgan County Road 24 is closed at County Road Q for south bound traffic. Morgan County Road Q is closed between County Road 24 and 26 for non-local traffic.
The sheriff’s office plans to post recorded updates on the status of the fire daily at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. starting Saturday, July 24. The public can hear the recording by calling 970542-3452. Updates will also be available on the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
According to a document on the Colorado Legislature’s website, the plant is a “coal-fired, steam-electric generation station” that began commercial operation in 1981. In 1994, a baghouse that vacuums particulate emissions from the flue gas was installed, and new controls to further reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide were installed in 2014.
Xcel Energy in March announced plans to convert the power plant from coal to natural gas fuel by 2028 as part of its Clean Energy Plan to retire all coal use in Colorado by 2040.