Minnesota Power in Taconite Harbor is working hard to eliminate negative environmental impacts as it generates power for Cook County and beyond. Minnesota Power Chief Operating Officer Alan Hodnik and Taconite Harbor Plant Manager Dave Rannetsberger updated the Cook County Board of Commissioners Tuesday, May 26, 2009 on plant operations in Cook County.
Hodnik thanked the board for its support when Minnesota Power purchased the coal-fired power plant eight years ago, saying the facility employs about 45 people. Upgrades to the plant since then have boosted the local construction industry, he said.
Recent improvements have included painting the outside of the building and sprucing up the areas on either side of Highway 61. Commissioner Fritz Sobanja asked if the three bridges spanning the highway would be painted soon. Hodnik recommended that Sobanja contact Cleveland-Cliffs because it, not Minnesota Power, owns the bridges.
Rannetsberger, who has worked at the plant since 1990 and whose father worked there before him, said the facility has been focusing on preservation activities and environmental controls. New equipment has substantially reduced noxious emissions, and the facility continues to work to reduce its mercury emissions.
Being so far from population centers makes the power plant less competitive than other plants, Rannetsberger said, but it continues to operate successfully.
Commissioner Bruce Martinson asked about the lifespan of the facility. While the plant is physically sound, said Hodnik, its future depends more on federal regulations that might change regarding the use of coal and other fossil fuels.
Is going to nuclear power a possibility? Commissioner Jim Johnson asked. Hodnik replied by saying that a controversy over spent fuel rods at two Minnesota nuclear plants led to a statute banning any new nuclear facilities in the state. Minnesota Power probably couldn’t finance a transition to nuclear power on its own, but it could be done by partnering with another entity. If greenhouse gases and global warming are a primary concern, Hodnik said, it is hard not to factor in nuclear power as a possibility.
Meetings sponsored by the Cook County Local Energy Project have included discussions on how partnerships could be forged with the Minnesota Power facility in Taconite Harbor to develop renewable, environmentally friendly sources of energy.
Rannetsberger said the plant would keep many people employed for many years.
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