San Juan Generating Station

The San Juan Generating Station is a decommissioned coal-fired electric power plant located by its coal source, the San Juan Mine, near Waterflow, New Mexico, between Farmington and Shiprock in San Juan County, New Mexico. Its majority owner is Public Service Company of New Mexico, and other owners include Tucson Electric Power and the Farmington Electric Utility System.^[2]

San Juan Generating Station
Country	United States
Location	Near Fruitland, New Mexico
Coordinates	36.802°N 108.439°W / 36.802; -108.439
Status	Decommissioned
Commission date	Unit 1: 1973 Unit 2: 1976 Unit 3: 1979 Unit 4: 1982
Decommission date	Unit 1: 2022 Unit 2: 2017 Unit 3: 2017 Unit 4: 2022
Owners	PNM (66%) Tucson Electric Power (20%) City of Farmington (5%) Los Alamos County (4%) Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (4%)[1]
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Sub-bituminous coal
Power generation
Units decommissioned	Unit 1 (340 MW) Unit 2 (340 MW) Unit 3 (496 MW) Unit 4 (507 MW)
Nameplate capacity	847 MW (2018)
Annual net output	4,674 GWh (2018)
External links
Commons	Related media on Commons

Aerial view of the generating station and coal mine

Units 2 and 3 (369 and 555 MW, completed in 1976 and 1979, respectively) were retired in 2017. The plant produced power at $45/MWh in 2018 and 2019.^[3] Unit 1 (369 MW, completed in 1973) was retired in June 2022.^[4] Unit 4 (555 MW, completed in 1982) was retired in October 2022.^[5][2] The city of Farmington announced the end of a plan the city had to acquire the generating station and run it with a partner as part of a carbon capture and utilization system.^[6][7] The closure of the plant and associated mine has resulted in the loss of hundreds of jobs along with tens of millions of dollars in annual tax revenue used to fund schools and a community college.^[8] The plant’s water reservoir was sold to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in 2023 to provide a reliable and sustainable water supply to Navajo homes and businesses. The reservoir was renamed the Frank Chee Willetto Reservoir.^[9]

Aerial view of Four Corners Generating Station on Navajo Nation land (south, left) and San Juan Generating Station (north, right), separated by the San Juan River between Farmington (foreground) and Shiprock (background)

References

1. "San Juan Generating Station". Enchant Energy. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
2. Grover, Hannah. "How San Juan Generating Station went from powerhouse to possible closure". Daily Times. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
3. Haggerty, Jean (May 28, 2020). "Record low solar PPAs in the Southwest mean 'carbon capture is not going to save coal plants'". pv magazine USA. Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. The San Juan plant's cost of producing electricity averaged $44.90 per MWh in 2018 and 2019
4. Bryan, Susan Montoya. "1 of 2 remaining units closes at San Juan Generating Station". Durango Herald. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
5. "San Juan Generating Station". SourceWatch. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
6. Fordham, Alice (December 22, 2022). "Despite promises of help, a community struggles after San Juan Generating Station closes". KUNM. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
7. "Farmington announces agreement to keep San Juan Generating Station open". Daily Times. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
8. Bryan, Susan Montoya (October 2, 2022). "US shift away from coal hits home in San Juan County". Daily Times. Associated Press. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
9. Segarra, Curtis (July 20, 2023). "After decades of use in a coal power plant, a New Mexico reservoir will help bring water to the Navajo Nation". KRQE News 13. Retrieved July 22, 2023.