Belledune Generating Station
Encyclopedia
The Belledune Generating Station is a 450 MW Canadian
electrical generating station located in the community of Belledune
in Gloucester County
, New Brunswick
.
A thermal generating station operated by provincial Crown corporation NB Power
, construction of the plant began in 1991 and it began generating electricity in 1993. At 450 MW, it is designed to burn coal
which is delivered by ship through the Port of Belledune and occasionally by rail or truck. Coal is mostly sourced in the United States and South America but local sources mined at Minto, NB
and Sydney, NS
have been used on occasion.
The Belledune plant is attractive for shipping as it is situated on the shore of Chaleur Bay
adjacent to a ship-unloading pier; Terminal II at the Port of Belledune was built in 1991-1992 by the Canada Ports Corporation as part of the Belledune Generating Station project. Terminal II has a 307 metre long wharf with a 28 metre wide apron and depth alongside of 15.9 metres, thus capable of handling up to Capesize
vessels of 100,000 DWT. An automated coal continuous ship unloader moves coal at 1750 metric tonnes per hour to stockpiles adjacent to the plant.
As part of the project, the Belledune River was dammed in the early 1990s to create a reservoir approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) upstream from its discharge point into Chaleur Bay. This reservoir is visible from New Brunswick Route 11
which was built on a new right of way that crosses the southern part of this reservoir, opening in the early 1990s. The construction of the Belledune Generating Station also resulted in the realignment of a 3 km (1.9 mi) section of local road New Brunswick Route 134
.
The plant itself features a single boiler and a single 180 metre smokestack. The plant was the first in Canada to install scrubbers to help reduce sulphur dioxide emissions; it also has an electrostatic precipitator
that removes over 99% of particles in the flue gases, as well as special burners to limit nitrogen oxide
emissions. The plant was designed to accommodate construction of a parallel second generating station (phase II) should one be built. An upgrade began in July 2004 which saw a Titan ProAsh facility built to recapture 75% of fly ash produced by the generating station. This has resulted in production of a synthetic gypsum
byproduct which is sold by NB Power to J.D. Irving Limited for production into wallboard.
The plant consumes approximately 1 million tons of coal per year and currently generates approximately fifteen percent of the province's electricityhttp://www.nbpower.com/html/en/safety_learning/learning/electricity_generated/electricity_generated.html, while producing roughly thirty percent of the province's air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions (among large industrial polluters)http://logixml.ghgregistries.ca/New%20Brunswick%20Dashboard%20Solo/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=Dashboard_Industrialhttp://www.ec.gc.ca/pdb/ghg/onlinedata/facility_info_e.cfm?ghg_id=G10022&year=2008.
In October 2009 the provincial government announced that it had reached an agreement with Hydro Quebec to sell NB Power to that company (see Proposed sale of NB Power
). The sale was not completed, however, the initial memorandum of understanding would have seen NB Power transfer all of its generating assets except for the thermal stations at Dalhousie, Belledune and Coleson Cove.
The sale of NB Power to Hydro Quebec was canceled in spring 2010, presumably sparing the Belledune Generating Station from any major changes to its operation.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
electrical generating station located in the community of Belledune
Belledune, New Brunswick
Belledune is a Canadian village in Gloucester County, New Brunswick.The little community of Belledune represents an amalgamation of Jacquet River, Armstrong Brook, and Belledune in 1994...
in Gloucester County
Gloucester County, New Brunswick
Gloucester County is located in the northeastern corner of New Brunswick, Canada. Fishing, mining and forestry are the major industries in the county...
, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
.
A thermal generating station operated by provincial Crown corporation NB Power
NB Power
NB Power , formerly known as New Brunswick Power Corporation and New Brunswick Electric Power Commission is the primary and former monopoly electrical utility in the Canadian province of New Brunswick...
, construction of the plant began in 1991 and it began generating electricity in 1993. At 450 MW, it is designed to burn coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
which is delivered by ship through the Port of Belledune and occasionally by rail or truck. Coal is mostly sourced in the United States and South America but local sources mined at Minto, NB
Minto, New Brunswick
Minto is a Canadian village straddling the border of Sunbury County and Queens County, New Brunswick. Located on the north shore of Grand Lake, approximately 50 kilometres northeast of Fredericton, its population meets the requirements for "town" status under the Municipalities Act of the...
and Sydney, NS
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
have been used on occasion.
The Belledune plant is attractive for shipping as it is situated on the shore of Chaleur Bay
Chaleur Bay
frame| Satellite image of Chaleur Bay . Chaleur Bay is the large bay opening to the east;the [[Gaspé Peninsula]] appears to the north and the [[Gulf of St...
adjacent to a ship-unloading pier; Terminal II at the Port of Belledune was built in 1991-1992 by the Canada Ports Corporation as part of the Belledune Generating Station project. Terminal II has a 307 metre long wharf with a 28 metre wide apron and depth alongside of 15.9 metres, thus capable of handling up to Capesize
Capesize
Capesize ships are cargo ships originally too large to transit the Suez Canal . To travel between oceans, such vessels used to have to pass either the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn. In effect Capesize reads as "unlimited"...
vessels of 100,000 DWT. An automated coal continuous ship unloader moves coal at 1750 metric tonnes per hour to stockpiles adjacent to the plant.
As part of the project, the Belledune River was dammed in the early 1990s to create a reservoir approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) upstream from its discharge point into Chaleur Bay. This reservoir is visible from New Brunswick Route 11
New Brunswick Route 11
Route 11 is a provincial highway in northeastern New Brunswick, Canada. The 430-kilometre long road runs from Shediac to the Quebec border near Campbellton at the Interprovinciale Bridge, following the province's eastern and northern coastlines....
which was built on a new right of way that crosses the southern part of this reservoir, opening in the early 1990s. The construction of the Belledune Generating Station also resulted in the realignment of a 3 km (1.9 mi) section of local road New Brunswick Route 134
New Brunswick Route 134
Route 134 is a Canadian secondary highway in northeast New Brunswick. The highway is actually divided by Northumberland County into a northern and southern section....
.
The plant itself features a single boiler and a single 180 metre smokestack. The plant was the first in Canada to install scrubbers to help reduce sulphur dioxide emissions; it also has an electrostatic precipitator
Electrostatic precipitator
An electrostatic precipitator , or electrostatic air cleaner is a particulate collection device that removes particles from a flowing gas using the force of an induced electrostatic charge...
that removes over 99% of particles in the flue gases, as well as special burners to limit nitrogen oxide
Nitrogen oxide
Nitrogen oxide can refer to a binary compound of oxygen and nitrogen, or a mixture of such compounds:* Nitric oxide, also known as nitrogen monoxide, , nitrogen oxide* Nitrogen dioxide , nitrogen oxide...
emissions. The plant was designed to accommodate construction of a parallel second generating station (phase II) should one be built. An upgrade began in July 2004 which saw a Titan ProAsh facility built to recapture 75% of fly ash produced by the generating station. This has resulted in production of a synthetic gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
byproduct which is sold by NB Power to J.D. Irving Limited for production into wallboard.
The plant consumes approximately 1 million tons of coal per year and currently generates approximately fifteen percent of the province's electricityhttp://www.nbpower.com/html/en/safety_learning/learning/electricity_generated/electricity_generated.html, while producing roughly thirty percent of the province's air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions (among large industrial polluters)http://logixml.ghgregistries.ca/New%20Brunswick%20Dashboard%20Solo/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=Dashboard_Industrialhttp://www.ec.gc.ca/pdb/ghg/onlinedata/facility_info_e.cfm?ghg_id=G10022&year=2008.
In October 2009 the provincial government announced that it had reached an agreement with Hydro Quebec to sell NB Power to that company (see Proposed sale of NB Power
Proposed sale of NB Power
The proposed sale of NB Power was an attempted takeover of New Brunswick's government-owned public utility assets by Hydro-Québec, Canada's largest utility...
). The sale was not completed, however, the initial memorandum of understanding would have seen NB Power transfer all of its generating assets except for the thermal stations at Dalhousie, Belledune and Coleson Cove.
The sale of NB Power to Hydro Quebec was canceled in spring 2010, presumably sparing the Belledune Generating Station from any major changes to its operation.