Hanford Steam Plants Shut Down

Fri., March 20, 1998

From Staff And Wire Reports

Some World War II-era steam plants at the Hanford nuclear reservation were closed Thursday, producing a savings of $108 million over 25 years, the U.S. Department of Energy said.

The coal and oil-fired plants were replaced by new portable steam boilers that run on cleaner fuels.

“The environment wins because of significant reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases like nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide,” said Hanford manager John Wagoner.

Because the Energy Department no longer needs to transport coal to the steam plants, the Hanford railroad system will soon be declared surplus. The railroad lines will be available to lure new companies to the area, Wagoner said.

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