Home Page >
News & Information >
Company News >
Other News of Interest >
Weston 4 >
Fact Sheet
Following are some facts regarding Weston 4. If you'd like further information, please
contact us.
- Site - Weston 4 is located adjacent to the Weston 3 unit
(360 megawatts/1981). Weston Unit 1 (60 megawatts/1954) and Weston Unit 2
(90 megawatts/1960) are also located on the 345-acre site. There are two
smaller natural gas-fired turbines (22.5 megawatts/50 megawatts) also
available to operate at the Weston site, if needed.
- Fuel - Clean Coal Technology. Low sulfur Powder River Basin (PRB) coal
is used for Weston 4. Currently, Weston Units 1, 2 and 3 also use low sulfur coal
from the Powder River Basin area in Wyoming.
- Emissions - Weston 4 uses state-of-the-art technology to minimize
air emissions. All environmental impacts associated with this project have been
approved and will be monitored by the regulatory agencies to ensure full
compliance with environmental and safety regulations at all times.
- Permits - Wisconsin Public Service secured all federal and state
environmental permits required to ensure the project minimizes impacts on
the natural and social environments. Local zoning permits were obtained. The project
is being constructed and will operate in accordance with environmental and safety
regulations at all times.
- Economic Benefits - Employment during the four years of construction was
between 1,000 and 1,200 workers. About 40 positions are needed to operate
the plant. Reimbursements from the state utility tax will also benefit the
municipalities and counties in which the plant is licensed to operate.
- Ash Disposal - Ash generated from the combustion of Weston 4 coal will
be marketed and recycled to the extent possible. Ash that cannot be reused
will be hauled off-site and disposed of at an existing licensed landfill.
- Noise - Weston 4 is designed to control noise
impacts. The major equipment of the project will be enclosed in buildings
and sound-limiting features are included to minimize overall sound
levels.
- Water Usage - Weston 4 will use water from the Wisconsin River in
its cooling process. A cooling water facility will help
conserve water usage and ensure water discharged back into the river
does not have a negative effect on aquatic life.
- Aesthetics - Weston 4 exterior is slightly larger than the
Weston 3 building façade. Weston 4 uses the same exterior color
scheme as Weston 3.
- Elevation - Weston 4's exhaust stack is approximately 500
feet in height, which is about the same as the Weston 3 exhaust stack.
- Rail Traffic - Rail traffic into the plant will increase. Initial
estimates are 3 to 4 additional shipments of coal per week will be needed.
Currently, 3 to 4 shipments of coal per week arrive at the Weston site for
units 1,2 and 3. Each train consists of 110 to 120 rail cars. A continuous-loop
track design was added to the site. This will minimize the impact
on local road traffic because the rail cars will be driven completely onto plant
property before their contents are unloaded.
- Weston 4 Contact - Kelly Zagrzebski, Community Relations Leader,
(715)848-7342, KTZagrzebski@wisconsinpublicservice.com.