PGE shutters coal-powered power plant in Boardman

BOARDMAN, Ore.-- Portland General Electric's (PGE) coal-fired power-generating plant in Boardman, Ore. has closed.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced Thursday that the 550 megawatt power plant, labeled as the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon, has been slated for closure as part of a 2010 agreement between PGE, DEQ and other state agencies.

“DEQ acknowledges and appreciates the leadership of PGE and state officials, past and present, to achieve this environmental success,” Whitman said. “The closure of the Boardman Coal Plant helps put the state on a path toward cleaner, safer air while we continue to develop climate-friendly sources of electricity.”

The plant, in operation since 1980, employed 67 people, and generated power for 500,000 homes.