A new 682mw coal burning generating plant in Nebraska City

(Satellite)

I didn't realize they were still building coal-fired power plants until I read this.

JournalStar (source)
Together, Nebraska City Station 1 (tall chimney) and Station 2 will generate more than 1,330 megawatts of electricity. (Gwyneth Roberts / Lincoln Journal Star)
"With all the headlines about alternative energy, cheap, abundant coal still turns on the lights in Nebraska - now and in the foreseeable future. And so the conflict between global warming and a developed world continues....The Nebraska City plant is the first completed in the state since 2005, when NPPD finished the 250-megawatt Beatrice Power Station....The new plant includes scrubbers, high-efficiency burners and a carbon injection system to reduce such pollutants as nitrous oxide, mercury, sulfur dioxide and ash. Tougher federal regulations on emissions mean the new plant releases one-tenth of the pollution of the 1979 station, said Ray Lynn, technical supervisor at the station. But since OPPD switched on the new station in May, the combined stations are consuming 135 train cars of coal every 20 hours....The utility broke ground on the plant in 2005."
Joel Spitzer
On the Nebraska group there were posts saying that the contract currently held by UP will go to BNSF. OPPD owns a former Burlington line from Lincoln to Nebraska City and the trains will run that line. UP runs grain trains from an elevator on the eastern half of the line so whether BNSF gets that too remains to be seen.
Paul Lasseter
Great news!! The thing that I couldn’t believe was the amount of time it took to build.

Larry Newell, Jun 2017

Larry Newell, Jun 2017

CB&Q and MoPac used to have tendrils all over southeastern Nebraska. Of interest was a CB&Q branch that came from Lincoln, NE, and crossed the river to another CB&Q branch that went along the east side of the Missouri River. And the CB&Q branch that went south of Nebraska City to Salem, NE, where it joined another east/west CB&Q mainline. Burlington Northern abandoned the bridge to the east and the southern route south of this power plant. Kyle Railroad obtained the southern remnant to the power plant and the branch west to Lincoln. But BNSF retains rights to use it. According to Joel Spitzer's comment above, the power utility owns Kyle Railroad. The elevator mentioned must be Gavilon Grain, which can ship by barge as well.

RR Aban Map

Update: They are putting the Nebraska Branch back in service so that BNSF can serve this plant.

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