PPL Expands Johnston Steam Generating Plant
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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)
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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.
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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.
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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-'
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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.
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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.
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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.