Brandon Generating Station is a natural gas-fired power station owned by Manitoba Hydro, located in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. The station was first built to burn lignite from Saskatchewan.
On 1 January 2010, Unit 5, the sole coal-fired unit, was downgraded to emergency use only, per section 16 of the Manitoba Climate Change and Emissions Reductions Act. Unit 5 was permitted to operate as a generator only under certain circumstances:Coal-Fired Emergency Operations Regulation To prevent a situation which would lead to a disruption or destabilization of the power supply. In drought years where demand exceeds forecasted supply. To maintain the generator in a state of readiness and availability.
The last allowance required Unit 5 to operate for 3–4 days each month at 10–15% of maximum capacity. Unit 5 stopped burning coal on August 1, 2018, and was converted to a synchronous condenser.Abigail Turner, "Manitoba no longer using coal for power," Global News, January 9, 2019
Description
The station consists of: 4 x 33 MW units (In 1996 three units were retired, and the last retired in 2001) 1 x 105 MW coal-fired unit. (Added in 1970, and Converted to Synchronous Condenser operation in 2018) 2 x 140 MW Alstom natural gas units (installed in 2002).
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