Here's what we know about the proposed plan to decommission the San Juan Generation Station

Jessica Onsurez, Farmington Daily Times
·2 min read

FARMINGTON - The San Juan County Commission will review the plan to decommission the San Juan Generation Station on Tuesday.

The Commission meets at 4 p.m. in Aztec to consider approving the plan submitted by the Public Service Co. of New Mexico, the plant’s primary owner.

Here's what we know about the proposed plan:

More:PNM expects demolition of San Juan Generating Station to begin this spring

Plan has support

The engineering firm of Mountain West Consulting LLC and the San Juan County staff already have recommended that the commission accept the plan.

The plan lists at least eight steps to complete the decommissioning, including demolition and remediation efforts.

Read more about the Commission's role:San Juan County Commission will consider approval of power plant demo, remediation plan

The chimney stack will be imploded

The demolition of the station’s most notable feature – its four, 300-foot chimneys that tower above the surrounding landscape – would be accomplished by implosion, according to the document.

Implosion is a process in which objects are destroyed by precision planning to have them fall in on themselves.

Asbestos remediation part of the plan

A small amount of asbestos containing material was identified at the plant during a 2019 survey.

The plan calls for that material to be removed and properly disposed of before any demolition work begins.

Only switchyards will remain

The only significant elements to be left in place once the facility has been demolished likely will be the station’s switchyards.

According to the document, the demolition and remediation plan does not include those facilities.

Cost to be shared among owners

The document also lists each of the station’s owners and lays out their share of responsibility for the demolition and remediation work, based on percentage of ownership.

PNM, the largest owner, will bear 48.9% of the costs, while Tucson Electric Power, the second-largest owner, will be responsible for 20.2%.

The M-S-R Public Power Agency will assume 7.6%, while the City of Farmington will cover 2.9%.

The remaining costs will be paid by the Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association, Los Alamos County Utilities, the Southern California Public Power Authority, the City of Anaheim and the Utah Associated Municipal Power System.

Learn more about the work to shutter the San Juan Generating Station:

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Here's what we know about the proposed plan to decommission the San Juan Generation Station