Jim Bridger Plant Brochure - PacifiCorp

Jim Bridger Plant
Point of Rocks, Wyoming

Jim Bridger Plant is named for the renowned
explorer and mountain man, John “Jim” Bridger.
His pioneering spirit is alive
today in the way this power
facility has responded to its
role as a low-cost energy
producer, resource manager
and environmental steward.
Energy, a natural resource
A massive amount of energy is held by
nature beneath the rugged, beautiful face
of Wyoming: oil, gas, uranium, coal.
That geologic legacy is the foundation of what today is one
of the largest electric generating complexes in the Rocky
Mountain area: the coal-fueled Jim Bridger steam-electric plant.
Sub-bituminous coal stretches out for miles just beneath
the surface of southwestern Wyoming; the product of
forests and swamps changed by time into vast coal seams.
It is the energy locked in that coal that enables this facility
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
of nearly 350 skilled and dedicated Wyoming residents.
People, power and production
Converting coal into electric energy available at the flip
of a switch can be described in just a few words: coal is
burned to produce high-pressure steam that spins large
turbine-generators, which produce electricity. In practice,
this process requires a complex blending of systems.
The coal is crushed and transported by a four-mile-long
conveyor belt from the Bridger Mine to the plant and by
train from the Black Butte Mine. Here, fuel handlers mix
and blend coal from different seams to gain
optimum blend for a clean, efficient fuel.
Once blended, the coal is conveyed inside
the plant. There, pulverizers grind the coal to
a talcum powder consistency. This mixture
fuels the boiler. At full load, all four units will
consume 1,100 tons of coal per hour.
The boiler heats water to produce steam that
is superheated and conducted to the turbine,
driving the electric generator.
Electricity produced leaves the plant on
345,000-volt transmission lines to enter the
regional power grid.
Spent steam is condensed back into water using cooling
towers (from which billow large clouds of white water
vapor, giving the plant one of its most distinctive hallmarks).
The cooled water then returns to the boiler to start the
process all over again. Water for the plant comes from the
Green River through a 50-mile-long pipeline.
Engineered for the environment
At every step of production, the Jim Bridger Plant
exemplifies an emphasis on environmental stewardship. On
the mining side, the surface mines near the plant are subject
to rigorous reclamation. What was grazing land before,
returns to grazing land. The land is restored to original or
better condition. Nesting platforms are installed for hawks.
Natural grass and shrub seed is planted for cattle and
wildlife grazing.
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
TRANSMISSION LINE
COAL FROM MINE
COAL SILO
HOT REHEAT
STEAM
COLD REHEAT
EXCITER
GENERATOR
TURBINE
ECONOMIZER
ELECTROSTATIC
PRECIPITATOR
SCRUBBER
MAIN
TRANSFORMER
CONDENSER
PULVERIZER
FEEDER
BOTTOM ASH
BOILER
AIR PREHEATER
FORCED DRAFT FAN
PRIMARY AIR SUPPLY
INDUCED DRAFT FAN
STACK
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
ASTORIA
CHEHALIS
LEWIS RIVER PROJECT
TOPPENISH
YAKIMA
MARENGO 1
MARENGO II
M O N T A N A
SEASIDE
SUNNYSIDE
DAYTON
GOODNOE HILLS
WALLA WALLA
PORTLAND
HOOD RIVER
HERMISTON
P A C I F I
C O C E A N
LINCOLN CITY
PENDLETON
LEANING JUNIPER 1
DALLAS
COLSTRIP
ENTERPRISE
INDEPENDENCE
ALBANY
STAY TON
SALMON
CORVALLIS LEBANON
MADRAS
SWEET HOME
JUNCTION CITY
LOVELL
REDMOND PRINEVILLE
CRESWELL
BEND
CODY
COTTAGE GROVE
BUFFALO
WYODAK
COOS BAY/NORTH BEND
O R E G O N
I D A H O
ST. ANTHONY
WORLAND
ROSEBURG NORTH UMPQUA PROJECT
BOISE
COQUILLE
GLENROCK
MYRTLE CREEK
RIGBY
ROLLING HILLS
ARCO
THERMOPOLIS
GLENROCK III
ROGUE RIVER PROJECT
SHELLEY
W Y O M I N G
GRANTS PASS EAGLE POINT
ROGUE RIVER
RIVERTON
DAVE JOHNSTON
CENTRAL POINT
ST. ANTHONY
CASPER
KLAMATH FALLS
DOUGLAS
CAVE JUNCTION
PINEDALE
MEDFORD
LANDER
LAVA HOT SPRINGS
LAKEVIEW
BIG PINEY
KLAMATH RIVER PROJECT
DUNLAP I
CRESCENT CITY
MONTPELIER
YREKA
BEAR RIVER PROJECT
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
Rocky Mountain Power and Pacific Power
service area
Idaho Power Company service area
C A L I F O R N I A
Thermal plants
Gas-fueled thermal plants
N EWind V projects A D A
Geothermal plants
Coal plants
Principal communities served
PacifiCorp-owned transmission lines
Transmission access
OGDEN
EVANSTON
LAYTON
GADSBY SALT LAKE CITY
WEST VALLEY CITY
PARK CITY
TOOELE
MIDVALE
CRAIG HAYDEN
DRAPER
VERNAL
LAKE SIDE
AMERICAN FORK
PLEASANT GROVE
OREM
SANTAQUIN
CARBON
CURRANT
CREEK MORONI PRICE
HUNTINGTON
DELTA
GUNNISON
CASTLE DALE
HUNTER
SALINA
C O L O R A D O
Other transmission
RICHFIELD
BLUNDELL
MILFORD
U T A H
MOAB
CEDAR CITY
PANGUITCH
BLANDING
IVINS
LA VERKIN
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 CHOLLA Utah, NO. 4 Wyoming and Idaho, and
A R I Z O N A
as Pacific Power in Oregon, Washington and California. PacifiCorp’s electric generation, commercial and energy trading, and
mining functions are operated as PacifiCorp Energy.
For more company information, please visit pacificorp.com and idahopower.com.
N E W M E X I C O
Recreation on the Jim Bridger Reservoir
Generating recreation opportunities with the same
resources we use to generate power is one additional
way we provide for the community.
The recreation opportunities along the Jim Bridger
Reservoir are open year round for day use. Located
approximately 35 miles east of Rock Springs, Wyoming,
our facilities provide river and reservoir fishing, picnicking
and hiking opportunities.
Visit pacificorp.com/recreation for details about recreation
amenities – and any fees – at our recreation areas.
01/11 PC © 2011 PacifiCorp