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About Herald and news. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1942-current | View Entire Issue (June 30, 1963)
PPL Expands Johnston Steam Generating Plant B BUS in vu yommff e. - V' , -' , ' ' ' - hb A RISING GIANT ON THE HORIZON About 20 miles east of Casper, Wyo,( stands this amazing giant of steel, rising almost 18 stories high out of the Wyoming plains and sprawling along the banks of the North Platte River. It is the Dave Johnston steam generating plant of the Pacific Power and Light Company. Two steam generating units, powered by coal, already provide 200,000 kilo watts of energy for Wyoming's rapidly expanding in- dustries, and the addition of another unit next year will add another 200,000 kilowatts. This view shows the plant, and also the grove of trees across the river which once was the favorite stopping point for travelers of the over land trail to the West. At the right is the substation area. Coal to feed this giant comes from a rich field about 14 miles south of the plant site. News Media Tour Covers Wide-Awake Wyoming By FLOYD L. WYNNE Wyoming is big but it is also busy and building! We were privileged to take our first extensive look at the new Wyoming several weeks ago, and found more than we expected Oh, the wide, wide plains, roll ing hills and. rugged country were still there, and cattle and sheep still shared the grazing lands, but a new vista of oil coal, sulphur and numerous oth or mineral wealth has been tapped in this big slate. Main purpose of our visit was two-fold, to see the new Dave Johnston steam generating plant at Glenrock, just a short dis tance from Casper, and to at tend the dedication of a new 230.000 kilowatt substation just out of Rock Springs, Wyo. After an air jaunt from Port land to Denver that crossed por tions of Wyoming, a group of representatives from newspapers as widespread as New York and San Francisco, television and ra dio and public officials, gathered at Denver for the Wyoming tour. from this Colorado city which is rising straight up with huge towering structures where only a few short years ago buildings did not exceed six or seven stories, the group left by air for Casper and the first stop of our lour. At Casper, we dis-assembled into automobiles for the trip to the Dave Johnston steam gener ating plant about 30 miles East. The man for whom the plant was named, Dave Johnston, was our driver, and took intense pride in telling us about his state of Wyoming. He came to Wyoming in the early 20s and has been associated with the power industry in that state ever since. He is to Wyo ming's power industry what John Boyle has been to the Cop- co division development in this area. As we rolled down the highway toward Glenrock the story of the steam plant unfolded. Our route took us through the Rig Muddy" oil field areas and oil pumps were busy along both sides of the highway. Oil is be ing pumped from two levels. about 2.600 feet and over 5.000 feet in this one field. Oil storage tank farms abound ed in the area. Our short trip look us along a nortion of the old Overland Trail n.at pioneers took on their way West. At one point, a lonely grave stands like a sentinel re minder just off to the right of the highway, carefully protected by a small fence, Here lies one of the pioneers who did not com plete the trek West. We rolled through Glenrock. A big oil refinery slructure is vis ible, empty, going to ruin. It de veloped that a new method of cracking the crude oil made this plant obsolete. When it died, the KLAMATH FALLS, OREGON. SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 13 town of Glenrock almost suc cumbed, also. It was at this point thai Pa if ic Power and Light Company topped into the breach and be gan explorations which led to the construction of the Dave Johnston steam generating plant at a bend in the North Platte River. Huge coal deposits had been reported about 15 miles south of the prospective plant site, and Ihis, with the waler, made the sito ideal for steam generation of power. The first HHI.OOO kilowatt unit began to assemble in 1956, and in l!lfl it was dedicated. Simul taneous with the dedication came the announcement that another unit would be built adding an- other 100,000 kilowatts of power.. This second unit went Into Iservice in 19B0. Electric power in nuantitv was now AvailaMo for the first time in Wyoming and industry began to see the possibilities of the slate. As the industrial load climbed, plans (Continued on Page 3) - it i Li -- lr if"3 11 mx m i ' ':-.J? -..-.2"l- .- if I ' IT DAVE JOHNSTON The huge steam generating plant of the Pacific Power and Light Company carries the name of a man who has long been associated with the power in- dustry of Wyoming. With all the vision of Wyoming etched in his features, Johnston views the plant with understandable pride. It represents a new step in full and re sourceful development of his beloved state of Wyoming. Me is shown here just out side the plant. V ,gd Jui p tzffi it Vtti 1 hi-fi mr u ulr'-A 3: ' ffi7 I 'JR-TSIir-. (1 JL--a'f.i fatt ' i A BIG HOIST The ifeam condensing unit, shown here on he ground alongside the skeleton structure at the Dave Johnston plant, will be hoisted into piece at the very top of the steel structure. It weighs in excess of 36 tons and will talce delicate handling to maneuver and weld it into piece atop the 18-si-ory high structure. COAL CRUSHERS These huge steel balls, shown clustored in rows like bowling balls, do the job of crushing chunks of coal into fine powder, even finer than talcum powder, for use in the boilers of the steam qeneiating plant. They weigh about 400 pounds at first and are gradually worn down and eventually discarded. I I i , . u, - .a rogt m I v " . j fa,, ,$ Vj ' N -- - 1 ,lil.l.l,,.ei i ii.. . ..tVX POWER SKELETON A new structure rises alonqside the double-unit coal-powered steam qenerator on the plains of Wyoming. Eighteen stories high, this skeleton will' house the third unit of the Dave Johnston tleam generating plant of the Pacific Power and Light Company. At present each of the plant's two units generate 100,000 kilo-' . . II",". .1 LI. il. ' -1 warn, me new aaainon aouoies rnis capacay. 9 mm .1:.- IUiU r o n.n " k UiU- V I V T T T k . . 1 j 'JOT ft' EXPLAINS CIRCUITS David Crebtree, chief dispatcher for Wyoming, explains the various circuits which are outlined on the huge map that covers one wall. He explained to the group how power is metered end fd from this generating point to others throughout Wyoming. A dispatcher is alio kept in constant touch with ell phesei of the operation throughout ( refined communications system. , ..4Mitvv , x COAL FOR THE FURNACES Almost 3,000 tons of coal daily pour through the boilers of the Dave Johnston steam generating plant just outside Glenrock, Wyo. In background can be seen one of the coal (rucks beinq loaded. Each truck carries about 70 tons. The coal is conveyed through e lonq crusher assembly end reaches the burners in powder form. The coal comes from strip eoel mines located south of the pint site end indicelions ere that the supply vill last et least 100 years. j, . SlIIHI Ik Mil' III Mimi IW I ei IIHi tt it tiftSf "il mmmmA f EXPLAINS DIALS Frank Bauman, engineer at the Davo Johnston steam generating plant, explains some of the countless gauges and dials that must be monitored at all times. Closed circuit television is used in a number of places. By this means, the, water level in the boilers is constantly visible. Another television circuit is used to monitor those who gain entrance to the yards of the plant.
