Xcel Energy’s new Comanche 3 power plant near Pueblo has been shut down to repair more boiler-tube leaks and to install baffles to damp high-pitched noises plaguing residents around the plant.
The plant will remain off line until the baffles are in place, said Xcel spokesman Mark Stutz.
The plant has been emitting a relentless, high-pitched sound some area residents compare to a hair dryer going full blast or a Shop-Vac.
“It is a huge relief,” said Anita Munoz, who lives about 2 miles from the plant. “People who have been spending nights in motels can go home.”
The start date for the $1 billion power plant has been repeatedly pushed back since September because of problems with leaking steam tubes.
Last weekend, the plant reached full load for a 24-hour period — the requirement Xcel needs for the unit to be included in its consumer rates.
In December, Xcel agreed to keep about $50 million in Comanche costs out of rates until the plant was operating.
The company decided not to try to add operating costs to rates now “because of the noise issue,” Xcel said in a statement.
There are also some additional minor repair problems with leaking tubes that have to be addressed, Stutz said.
Area residents took their complaints to the Pueblo County Board of Commissioners, the Pueblo City Council and the state Public Utilities Commission.
“It was everyone getting involved that made a difference,” Munoz said.
The baffles are being built by Kinetics Noise Control and will be installed by International Chimney. The cost is not public information, Xcel officials said. Initial work on the baffle installation is set to begin this week.
Mark Jaffe: 303-954-1912 or mjaffe@denverpost.com
