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The Mystic Generating Station is a
In the mid 1990s, the state of Massachusetts began to deregulate the electrical market. This led to the sale of the Mystic Generating Station to Sithe Energies who started a large capital investment in the construction of Mystic 8 and 9 which was completed in 2003. Sithe was acquired by Everett power plant changes name, owner, again
/ref>
power station
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.
Many p ...
in the state of Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
(on the border between Everett and Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
) which has the highest nameplate capacity
Nameplate capacity, also known as the rated capacity, nominal capacity, installed capacity, or maximum effect, is the intended full-load sustained output of a facility such as a power station,
of any station in the state. It is capable of burning both natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
and petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
, but mostly burns natural gas.
The plant currently consists of eight separate generating units; Mystic 8 and 9 are combined cycle natural gas units with a total of four combustion turbines and two steam turbines which can produce 1414 MW total, Mystic 7 is a natural gas or petroleum unit which produces 576 MW, and Mystic Jet is small petroleum fueled unit which produces 8.6 MW in periods of high demand. Mystic Station is scheduled to retire in mid-2024.
History
In the mid 1990s, the state of Massachusetts began to deregulate the electrical market. This led to the sale of the Mystic Generating Station to Sithe Energies who started a large capital investment in the construction of Mystic 8 and 9 which was completed in 2003. Sithe was acquired by Exelon
Exelon Corporation is an American Fortune 100 energy company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and incorporated in Pennsylvania. It generates revenues of approximately $33.5 billion and employs approximately 33,400 people. Exelon is the larges ...
in late 2003 who ran into financial difficulties which resulted in BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas is a French international banking group, founded in 2000 from the merger between Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP, "National Bank of Paris") and Paribas, formerly known as the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas. The full name of the grou ...
taking control of the station. BNP Paribas sold the station soon after its acquisition to Boston Generating. Boston Generating ended up declaring chapter 11 bankruptcy
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, whe ...
in 2010 and was sold to Constellation Energy
Constellation Energy Corporation () is an energy company headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The company provides electric power, natural gas, and energy management services. It has approximately two million customers across th ...
. Constellation Energy and Exelon merged in March 2012, returning ownership to Exelon. Constellation owns and operates the station following spin-off from Exelon in 2022.
Recently, the Toxics Action Center
Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subs ...
has targeted the Mystic Generating Station as one of the five largest polluting power stations in the state. Other groups have also become concerned that the plant relies too heavily on Distrigas Distrigas was a natural gas company based in Belgium. In addition to Belgium, the company operated also in France, the Netherlands and Germany. On 1 November 2012, Distrigas merged with Nuon Belgium and became Eni Gas & Power NV/SA, a wholly owned ...
Liquefied Natural Gas
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled down to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the volu ...
from Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
which has been experiencing political unrest.
Changes in the wholesale energy markets left Mystic uneconomical to operate under most conditions, leading Exelon to apply to close Mystic from 2022. ISO New England
ISO New England Inc. (ISO-NE) is an independent, non-profit Regional Transmission Organization (RTO), headquartered in Holyoke, Massachusetts, serving Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
ISO-NE oversees ...
ordered units 8 and 9 to remain operational until the transmission system could be upgraded under a FERC
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the United States federal agency that regulates the transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas in interstate commerce and regulates the transportation of oil by pipeline in ...
Order 1000 competitive solicitation. Once an upgrade project was selected ISO-NE announced that Mystic Station would be allowed to fully retire on June 1, 2024. Mystic Generating Station's peaking capabilities will be replaced by transmission grid enhancements built on existing National Grid and Eversource properties, a solution known as "Ready Path".
In early 2022, Constellation was spun out as an independent company again./ref>
See also
*List of largest power stations in the United States
This article lists the largest electrical generating stations in the United States in terms of current installed electrical capacity. Non-renewable power stations are those that run on coal, fuel oils, nuclear, natural gas, oil shale and peat, ...
* List of power stations in Massachusetts
This is a list of electricity-generating power stations in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, sortable by type and name. In 2021, Massachusetts had a total summer capacity of 13,002 MW through all of its power plants, and a net generation of 1 ...
References
{{reflist Oil-fired power stations in Massachusetts Natural gas-fired power stations in Massachusetts