Boswell Energy Center - Unit 3 Retrofit

POWERING ADDITIONAL CONTROL EQUIPMENT

Minnesota Power is an investor-owned utility (IOU) that provides electricity in northeast Minnesota. More than half of the electricity it generates is for energy-intensive industrial users, which include some of the nation’s largest taconite mining and paper production companies. 

The Unit 3 Retrofit project consisted of a complete upgrade of all environmental systems including new air quality control equipment including wet flue gas desulfurization, low NOx burners, selective catalytic reduction, baghouse and a carbon injection system.  

The company’s goal was to maintain Boswell 3’s net output capability while powering the additional environmental control equipment.

The end result of the 2.5 year project?  A considerable reduction in key pollutant emissions from the Boswell electric power generating station.  Emissions of SO2 were reduced by 99 percent, nitrogen oxides (NOx) were reduced by 92 percent, and mercury emissions were reduced by 90 percent from Unit 3.