TransAlta Corp?? and/orCentralia, WA

[willstrickland]

Any of you spraylords happen to work for TransAlta? Have an interview coming up, and it's always good to get some inside baseball.

 

And go ahead and spray about what a hole Centralia is. I can barely remember passing through it on the five. Think I even had breakfast at some sleazy redneck diner there once, but again not that memorable could have been Chehalis for all I know.

[G-spotter]

I seem to recall that the main street has "No Cruising" signs posted.

[chucK]

You'll be closer to the mountains in Centralia than you would be if you lived in San Jose!

[DirtyHarry]

Good outlet shopping.

[olyclimber]

the Country Cousin is a real, real good place fer vittles.

[willstrickland]

I seem to recall that the main street has "No Cruising" signs posted.

 

How are you supposed to scope the babes then?

 

And what will I do with the '79 Trans Am w/screamin' chicken hood and t-top if I caint cruise for honeys?

 

"That what I like about high school girls, man. I get older and they stay the saaaammmme age. Alright."

[tivoli_mike]

There is a McMenamin's owned hotel in the old downtown district...

[olyclimber]

with very unsual urinals.

 

Chehalis has a nice jail too. very clean.

[crazyjizzy]

with very unsual urinals.

 

Chehalis has a nice jail too. very clean.

 

Did you have good sex there?

[G-spotter]

race hater!

[crazyjizzy]

TransAlta,

 

What would you be doing at a coal fired power plant? I thought that PacifiCorp own that plant?

[LUCKY]

I am the closest climber that I know of to the Steam plant as it is known by the locals and I have hung alot of Iron there, at the coal mine, the co gen power plant, and at the coal fired plant

Welcome to PODUNK

[crazyjizzy]

There is a co-gen there also? I know that there is a 700MW B+W built in the 70's.

[willstrickland]

Jizzy: I think PacificCorp does own it as a subsidiary or maybe has a minority stake or something, not sure. Seems like PacCorp has a finger in everything in Utah and WA. They owned the big ass coal fired plant in Utah near Joes Valley. AFAIK, TransAlta has a mine in addition to the coal fired plant and also a hydro plant all in the Centralia area. (They also have ops in western Canada, Australia, and a few other places).

 

EDIT: Looks like TransAlta bought it from Pac. From their site:

 

"Acquired in 2000, TransAlta's Centralia complex includes a coal-fired power plant, a gas-fired power plant and a surface coal mine. Situated in southwest Washington, six miles from Centralia, these operations have the net capacity to generate 1,665 megawatts of electricity for the Pacific Northwest.

 

TransAlta purchased the coal-fired power plant and mine in 2000 and added a combined-cycle natural gas generating facility in 2002.

 

Centralia's coal-fired power plant generates enough electricity each year to supply a city about the size of Seattle. The plant has two generating units producing 1,404 megawatts, with each unit consisting of a turbine, a generator, and a boiler that burns eight tons of coal per minute.

 

Considered a base load station, this power plant is used to offset the seasonal fluctuations in the hydro generation that supplies 70% of Washington's electrical demand. TransAlta delivers power through the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) power grid.

 

The coal supply for this plant comes from two sources so we can blend the coal to increase the burn efficiencies in the boilers. Approximately 85% of the coal is supplied locally from our mining operation with the remaining quantity shipped to us by rail.

 

TransAlta's work at Centralia is an example of the company's commitment to the environment in action. When TransAlta bought the plant, it agreed to uphold the recommendations of a collaborative decision-making process among key stakeholders in the area. In keeping with these recommendations, TransAlta installed US$200 million on scrubber technology, making it among the cleanest coal-fired power plants in North America."

 

I would be doing environmental permitting/compliance/regulatory negotiations that sort of thing. Essentially what I've always done, but from the private sector side instead of govt side and with a broader reg focus (I've been involved in various sections of Clean Water Act - 401, 402, 404, this would include Air, RCRA, possibly additional state regs) .

Edited April 6, 2006 by willstrickland

[crazyjizzy]

Seems like PacCorp has a finger in everything in Utah and WA. They owned the big ass coal fired plant in Utah near Joes Valley.

 

There are actually two plants where you speak. Huntington is up Huntington Canyon, and is composed of two 450MW CE Boilers built about 1980.

 

About twenty miles south of Huntington, just outside Castledale, are the three Hunter Plant boilers. These are also CE's, if I remember correctly. There were plans for a fourth Hunter boiler, but this was ended in 1984, and the steam drum was cut up. Both these plants were owned by Uncle Pete and Larry, AKA UP&L, AKA Utah Power anf Light. UP&L merged with PacCorp in the late eighties.

[Squid]

Best of luck, Will.

[LUCKY]

There is a co-gen there also? I know that there is a 700MW B+W built in the 70's.

Yes I think I worked on it like 3 years ago maybe more, they started it up ran it for 6 mounts than shut it down

[archenemy]

I would be doing environmental permitting/compliance/regulatory negotiations that sort of thing. Essentially what I've always done, but from the private sector side instead of govt side and with a broader reg focus (I've been involved in various sections of Clean Water Act - 401, 402, 404, this would include Air, RCRA, possibly additional state regs) .

[Off_White]

Well, I live closer to Centralia than LUCKY does, but I'm sure he's spent much more time at the Steam Plant.

 

As far as a rural metropolis goes, it's not half bad. As mentioned, it does have a McMenamins which includes the option of sitting on couches, drinking beer, eating, and watching movies for cheap. La Tarrasca serves some of the best Mexican food I've had north of southern Calif/AZ, owned & run by an immigrant family from Michoacan. Bocata is an awesome mediterranean eatery. The town has been down in the dumps economically for awhile, but seems to be on a slow but steady recovery. Housing is still cheap, and there is a great stock of older homes. Good fishing on the Chehalis and Skookumchuck rivers, numerous lakes and such. Hunting for deer, elk and such. Plenty of low elevation hiking and mtn biking, but the southern Cascades got nothing on the good stuff up north. Granted, I like living in this area, but living in Centralia for awhile would not fill me with dread.

 

As far as climbing goes it's no mecca. Your closest good stome is in my front yard. You're about 2 hours from the Tieton, 3-1/2 hours from Der, 5+ hours from Squish, 4.5 hours from Tuffyland. Portland will be your closest big city, and the drive that way will beat the pants off the drive to Seattle. That means you're maybe 90 minutes tops from Beacon.

[willstrickland]

Thanks for the input everyone. The grilling...er, interview is Monday.

[LUCKY]

Well, I live closer to Centralia than LUCKY does,

 

I knew you would chime in OFFWHITE...and I knew you would think that , but as the crow flies or before they gated off the log'n roads ...the steam plant...it's right over the hill

might be a culture change for old willy boy living in podunk where is a sport and the rebel flag is a curtain in the window of the house next door

[willstrickland]

might be a culture change for old willy boy living in podunk where is a sport and the rebel flag is a curtain in the window of the house next door

 

Dude, I live in Fairbanks, and grew up in Georgia. Sounds like home without the accents or sweet tea.

[LUCKY]

Dude welcome to the nabor..HOOD you think you might venture out to fossil where the ethics scale is -.0000001 not that I am into that , but you have to pull down on what you got and the view of Rainer ...Offwhite's crib is cool and very homie...come show us what you got ...I'm just a old has been or never was , so it won't be hard to one up me,

Don't forget to show up with a truck with an easy rider rifle rack and beer cans in the back so we know your one of us

Edited April 9, 2006 by LUCKY