MOGS/Mohave Generating Station/Mohave Power Station

[stonehenge]

Kinda a cool picture from 1972, plant has been closed since Dec. 31st., 2005 and the iconic exhaust stack was leveled by explosives on March 11, 2011. The site was put on the market in Oct. 2016.

But look at the price of gas in the bottom left corner in Bullhead at Terrible Herbst, super leaded .32 cents!!!! FJB, opps, I mean FKH

 

[HALLETT BOY]

I understand the coal was a slurry piped all the way from New Mexico ? And burned in Nevada because of lax environmental regs .

 

[stonehenge]

I understand the coal was a slurry piped all the way from New Mexico ? And burned in Nevada because of lax environmental regs .

Thats not entirely accurate. The mixture came from an Indian tribe in Kayenta, AZ . It was the only plant in the USA that burned the 50/50 coal/water combo, and by many accounts was rather efficient, they even recycled the ash and sold it to concrete companies. However, coal is coal and even coal/water aren't the most epa friendly. A ton of environmental groups had multiple law suits (water usage related) coupled with the epa breathing down their necks 24/7, and two early failures in the turbines, plus the final nail in the coffin was in 1985 when a reheat pipe burst and killed 6 and injured many others. All of these factors contributed to its closer.

Ultimately 300 folks lost there jobs here locally, the indians were financial hurt and the cost of electricity went up. (not insane amount, but it did go up)

 

[Sleek-Jet]

The coal came from the Black Mesa mine complex, the same mine that provided coal for the power station in Page. The mine straddled the Hopi and Navajo reservations and if memory serves the pits for Mojave were on the Hopi side of the border. There was always political issues about the water and such at the mine because the two tribes don't get along.

The slury only had to be pumped a short distance, then gravity did the rest of the work. It was a pretty elegant solution for transporting coal hundreds of miles from the mine.

What really put the nail in the coffin was retrofitting the plant for more stringent emission standards, just didn't make financial sense to do so.

 

[Ziggy]

Was this the plant in Laughlin?

 

[Sleek-Jet]

Was this the plant in Laughlin?

Yep

 

[oldman]

The coal came from the Black Mesa mine complex, the same mine that provided coal for the power station in Page. The mine straddled the Hopi and Navajo reservations and if memory serves the pits for Mojave were on the Hopi side of the border. There was always political issues about the water and such at the mine because the two tribes don't get along.

The slury only had to be pumped a short distance, then gravity did the rest of the work. It was a pretty elegant solution for transporting coal hundreds of miles from the mine.

What really put the nail in the coffin was retrofitting the plant for more stringent emission standards, just didn't make financial sense to do so.

Scrubbers on the stack, there was always a haze in the air. New restrictions means scrubbers on the stacks and they bailed, and closed the plant

 

[RIVERBORN]

My dad worked outages at that plant for years. I imagine I have some pics somewhere.

 

[RIVERBORN]

Once Laughlin boom slowed, we moved to Las Vegas. We visited back to bullhead a lot.
I can still remember as a kid , coming down the hill to Laughlin, once you see the stack you knew you were close.

 

[GreenEnergy28]

Thats not entirely accurate. The mixture came from an Indian tribe in Kayenta, AZ . It was the only plant in the USA that burned the 50/50 coal/water combo, and by many accounts was rather efficient, they even recycled the ash and sold it to concrete companies. However, coal is coal and even coal/water aren't the most epa friendly. A ton of environmental groups had multiple law suits (water usage related) coupled with the epa breathing down their necks 24/7, and two early failures in the turbines, plus the final nail in the coffin was in 1985 when a reheat pipe burst and killed 6 and injured many others. All of these factors contributed to its closer.

Ultimately 300 folks lost there jobs here locally, the indians were financial hurt and the cost of electricity went up. (not insane amount, but it did go up)

When I got into the Steam Turbine repair industry I worked with a bunch of old cats from the SCE days. Worked with a guy "Hip Shot" who crossed the picket lines at that plant and got shot by a high powered pellet gun. Also worked with a welder who had just clocked out when the steam line failed. He lost a few friends that day. Sad deal.

 

[FreeBird236]

Once Laughlin boom slowed, we moved to Las Vegas. We visited back to bullhead a lot.
I can still remember as a kid , coming down the hill to Laughlin, once you see the stack you knew you were close.

I always came in from the South, but still kind of miss it.

 

[~JM~]

That's a cool pic. I know that location & remember those businesses.

 

[oldman]

When I got into the Steam Turbine repair industry I worked with a bunch of old cats from the SCE days. Worked with a guy "Hip Shot" who crossed the picket lines at that plant and got shot by a high powered pellet gun. Also worked with a welder who had just clocked out when the steam line failed. He lost a few friends that day. Sad deal.

That failed into a break room if I remember right?

I worked as a Knocker ??? he went into the boiler with a shot gun and spent his shift shooting out slag residue. Is that the right technical term??

he ended up in Whittier as a line man with me after his apprenticeship.

 

[GreenEnergy28]

That failed into a break room if I remember right?

I worked as a Knocker ??? he went into the boiler with a shot gun and spent his shift shooting out slag residue. Is that the right technical term??

he ended up in Whittier as a line man with me after his apprenticeship.

Control room. The doors opened inward so the operators didn’t stand a chance.
I haven’t spent much time in the boilers. Only the boiler feed pumps. I’ve mostly worked on the steam turbines and components. Machinist by trade, but welder, hammer jockey, or whatever else is needed. Lol.

 

[oldman]

Control room. The doors opened inward so the operators didn’t stand a chance.
I haven’t spent much time in the boilers. Only the boiler feed pumps. I’ve mostly worked on the steam turbines and components. Machinist by trade, but welder, hammer jockey, or whatever else is needed. Lol.

It was a long time ago, I know we had a major stake in it,

 

[mash on it]

March 11, 2011, 9 am, I was in the parking lot of The Old Town Saloon, beer in hand, to watch the smoke stack implosion.

Seemed like July and August there was always a brown smog layer over the river valley. Early 2000's

The property I have north of Williams has an easement for the old coal slurry pipeline. Quest now runs natural gas through it. About an acre of wasted land. The cows don't care.

Dan'l

 

[TPC]

I was surprised they didn't covert it to natural gas.
I used to bass fish the river and can remember days before the plant and after the plant started. Threw a haze out to the Horizon.