Pollution control plan offered by power plant

Monday, July 3, 2000 | 11:23 a.m.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency agreed to a proposal by operators of the coal-fired Mohave Generating Station in Laughlin to install controls that will capture much of the air pollution from the plant.

The EPA estimates that the plant releases more than 40,000 tons of sulfur dioxide a year, one of the largest sources of that pollutant in the West.

The agency's San Francisco office announced on Friday that it would accept public comments for 30 days on adopting a consent decree that requires the operators of the power plant to reduce sulfur dioxide, particles and nitrogen oxides.

It plans to include the pollution controls in a revised plan to protect visibility in Grand Canyon National Park.

The EPA discovered that strong winds blowing toward the Grand Canyon, about 100 miles northwest of the plant, spread pollutants contributing to haze in the canyon. To clear the pollution, the plant, built between 1967 and 1971, needs to modify its controls, according to the EPA. The first unit must have updated controls by Jan. 1, 2006, the second by April 1, 2006.

Southern California Edison and Nevada Power Co. have agreed to sell their combined 70 percent stake in Mohave to AES Corp., a Virginia-based energy development company, for $667 million. Southern California Edison owns 56 percent of the plant and Nevada Power owns 14 percent. Other parties with financial interest in Mohave are the Salt River Project of Arizona and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.