Xcel Energy 2015 Annual Report Download - page 13

LAST TRAIN TO BLACK DOG:
SUNSETTING COAL OPERATIONS
More than six decades after the Black Dog Generating Station
began providing electricity to residents in the Twin Cities, the
last coal train—125 cars long—coasted to a stop in April at the
Burnsville, Minn., facility, carrying 12,500 tons of coal.
That nal shipment marked the end of an era at Black Dog that
began with coal rst supplied by river barges before transitioning
to rail cars in the 1980s. Those train tracks have been removed,
along with the coal yard and other remnants of how most of the
country’s power was produced in the 20th century.
Black Dog’s transition away from coal began in 2002 when two
coal units were converted to natural gas. Preparation for a new
combustion turbine gas unit at the site is now underway and
is expected to be operational by early 2018. The retiring and
repowering of aging coal-red units is part of Xcel Energy’s plan
to signicantly reduce carbon emissions 60 percent in the Upper
Midwest (compared to 2005 levels) by 2030.
This project will provide The Right Mix of advanced technology,
cost-effective energy and signicant environmental benets. When
complete, an expansive green space will replace the former coal
yard and will blend naturally with the 1,250 acres surrounding the
plant that Xcel Energy leases to the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service for $1 each year.
In Colorado, we also achieved a signicant milestone in our
Clean Air-Clean Jobs project in 2015 by retiring the third coal unit
at our Cherokee Generating Station and bringing online the new
combined-cycle units at the plant—the entire $1 billion project
remains on schedule and within budget.
So far, under the project, we have retired ve coal units (518
megawatts of coal), and we expect to reduce nitrogen oxides by
86 percent, sulfur dioxide emissions by 83 percent and mercury
emissions by 82 percent when the project is complete in 2017.
The project will contribute to a projected 35 percent reduction in
carbon dioxide emissions (from 2005 levels) by 2020 in Colorado.
Tony Wendland (left), a gas project manager, visits with Jake Gundry,
Black Dog Generating Station manager, about Xcel Energy’s successful
bid to supply a natural gas pipeline to the facility.
Xcel Energy volunteers Brandon Hassan, Alex Hassan, Roger Ly
and Robert Hendricks (foreground to background) apply a fresh
coat of paint during Xcel Energy’s 5th annual Day of Service
at AccessAbility, a Minneapolis non-prot that provides
opportunities for self-sufciency for people with barriers to
employment and community inclusion.
GIVING BACK TO THE
COMMUNITIES WE SERVE
Our business will only be as successful as the
communities we serve, and being supportive and
connected community partners is one of our core
values. Our 5th annual Day of Service positively
impacted 80 non-prot organizations in our service
territory; 3,500 employees, retirees and their families
donated 10,000 hours of volunteer time in a single day.
In 2015, we awarded $3.8 million in Foundation grants
to more than 400 non-prot organizations across our
service territory, with a continued focus on science,
technology, engineering and math (STEM) education,
economic sustainability, environmental stewardship
and accessibility to the arts. Our employees donated
50,000 volunteer hours to local non-prot organizations.
We also achieved record-breaking United Way results
this past year, with employees and retirees donating
$2.8 million in pledges. This is the highest combined
total in our campaign history and, when added to the
corporate match, will result in nearly $5.3 million in
donated funds for our communities.
We also care for our communities in unique ways. Our
award-winning Clean Energy Partnership with the City of
Minneapolis and CenterPoint Energy laid the foundation
for future energy efciency, renewable energy and
carbon reduction goals.
XCEL ENERGY | Annual Report 2015 13