More than 1 million gallons of fuel dust waste reportedly pour out over property into the local Blackwater Lake at its big coal plant in Cohasset, Minnesota, with at least some reaching near Blackwater Lake.
The Boswell Energy Center, which processes effluent from a lake containing the byproducts of petroleum fire to the herb where it is used as process water, was revealed in a news release on Tuesday.
Minnesota Energy stated that the hole has been contained, that the business is monitoring for possible consequences to water and animals, and that it has also notified the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Coal dust contains substances including mercury, cadmium and arsenic, which is poison water and air if not effectively managed, according to the EPA.
According to the state Department of Natural Resources, the 674-acre Blackwater Lake is a dam on the Mississippi River. The Pokegama Dam, which is run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, regulates river rates.
Minnesota Power uses the river to cool its flower and produces heated water from the river. The river is “essentially a flooded valley channel,” according to the DNR. The fuel plant releases heated water, according to the DNR, which is popular with fish.
The Boswell flower is Minnesota Power’s largest power supply. Its two operating coal-fired devices are capable of producing 932 megawatts of electricity. The energy transitions to carbon-free power in order to fulfill its climate targets and state laws for a carbon-free network by 2040, and one component at the flower is scheduled to retire in 2030, and the second is scheduled to close in 2035.
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