Conesville Power Plant

Conesville Power Plant
Conesville Power Plant in 2009
Country United States
Location Franklin Township, Coshocton County, near Conesville, Ohio
Coordinates 40°11′10″N 81°52′43″W / 40.18611°N 81.87861°W / 40.18611; -81.87861Coordinates: 40°11′10″N 81°52′43″W / 40.18611°N 81.87861°W / 40.18611; -81.87861
Status Operational
Commission date Unit 1: 1957
Unit 2: 1959
Unit 3: 1962
Unit 4: 1973
Unit 5: 1976
Unit 6: 1978
Decommission date Unit 1–2: 2005
Unit 3: 2012
Units 5–6: 2019 (planned)
Unit 4: 2020 (planned)
Owner(s) AEP Generation Resources (92%)
AES Ohio Generation (8%)
Operator(s) American Electric Power (AEP)
Thermal power station
Primary fuel Coal
Cooling source Muskingum River
Power generation
Nameplate capacity 1,590 MW

Conesville Power Plant is a 1.59-gigawatt (1,590 MW) coal power plant located east of Conesville, Ohio in Coshocton County, Ohio. Its two units are owned by American Electric Power (AEP) and a third unit is co-owned by AEP and Dayton Power & Light (DP&L). All plant operations are handled by AEP. Conesville began operations in 1957.

History

Construction of Unit 1 began in 1955 and was commissioned by Columbus & Southern Ohio Electric (a forerunner of AEP).[1] Unit 1 began commercial generation in 1957 while Unit 2 began operations two years later in 1959.[2] Both units cost $36 million to construct and generated 125 MW each.[3][4] Unit 3 began operations in 1962 with a generation capacity of 165 MW.[5] Unit 4 began operations in 1973 with a generation capacity of 780 MW.[6] At the time of its conception, the unit would be jointly owned by Cincinnati Gas and Electric (CG&E) (a forerunner of Duke Energy), Columbus & Southern Ohio Electric, and DP&L.[7] Units 5 and 6 began operations in 1976 and 1978 respectively.[8][9] Over the years, Units 5 and 6 have increased electrical generation from 375 MW to 405 MW.[8][10] In 2014, Duke Energy sold its stake in Conesville to Dynegy.[11] Three years later in 2017, Dynegy sold its stake in Conesville in a swap with AEP for a stake of William H. Zimmer Power Station.[12] DP&L continues to hold a minority ownership of Unit 4 with AEP.[13]

Environmental mitigation

With the installation of Unit 4, electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) were installed to prevent fly ash from going into the atmosphere. ESPs were later installed to Units 1–3 in the mid-1970s. Unit 4 also had cooling towers constructed which resulted in zero discharge into the Muskingum River.[14] In 2009, Unit 4 would receive the installation of flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) equipment along with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system to meet the requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) and Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR).[15][16] The $450 million project for Unit 4, saw the construction of a 800 ft (240 m) smokestack for the FGD equipment.[17] After it was installed, inspectors found corrosion. AEP settled with Black & Veatch, the contractor who installed the FGD equipment, to address the corrosion.[18] When Units 5 and 6 went into operation, $52 million in scrubber technology were installed to reduce sulfur dioxide (SO
2) emissions, but it operated inefficiently.[19][20] The scrubber was eventually upgraded in 2008.[16] In the summer of 2001, Unit 6 was the test site for Thermal Energy International's THERMALONOx.[21][22] The THERMALONOx was intended to show that nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions would be reduced by 70%.[21] Unfortunately, the demonstration was halted in September 2001 after the "system did not appreciably reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission levels."[22]

Operations

When the first unit went into operation, it was projected that Conesville would use between 300,000 to 400,000 short tons of coal each year.[1] According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the plant received 1,716,286 short tons of coal in 2017. All of the coal was shipped from mines within Ohio.[23]

Retirement

Units 1 and 2 were retired in 2005 after Unit 1's tubing to its boiler failed. Inspections on Unit 2 revealed severe corrosion in a pattern that was similar to Unit 1. The reported cost of $35 million to repair both units was not worth the benefit of returning to service.[3] Unit 3 was retired in December 2012 in order to comply with the Environmental Protect Agency (EPA) rules regarding mercury, lead, and other toxic emissions.[24][25] AEP announced in October 2018 they will shut down Conesville by May 2020. Units 5 and 6 will retire in May 2019 while Unit 4 will remain in operation until 2020. The decision to close the plant was due to operational costs, not clearing PJM Interconnection's capacity auction, and AEP unable to find a buyer.[13][26]

Incidents

In February 1982, two protestors from Greenpeace climbed up one of Conesville Power Plant's smokestacks to protest against acid rain.[27] The protestors spent three days on top of the smokestack. They were charged with criminal trespass. The judge fined both protestors $250 and were sentenced to three days in jail.[28]

In July 2004, a tank exploded burning two workers. They would later die from their injuries.[29] AEP determined the cause was due to a sudden release of molten slag that overpressured the tank.[30]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Top Executives Tell of Conesville Power Plant". Coshocton Tribune. July 5, 1955. p. 6. Retrieved June 24, 2018 – via https://www.newspapers.com/.
  2. ↑ Hayhurst, Leonard (August 24, 2017). "AEP Conesville still fired up after 60 years". Coshocton Tribune. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "2 units at AEP Conesville plant to be shuttered". Columbus Business First. October 3, 2005. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Conesville Power Plant Began Operating in 1958". Coshocton Tribune. August 20, 1961. p. 9. Retrieved June 26, 2018 – via https://www.newspapers.com/.
  5. ↑ Waitkus, Dave (January 7, 2013). "End of an era". American Electric Power (AEP). Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Conesville Unit 4". DPL Inc. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Conesville power plant constructed". The Times Reporter. January 27, 1971. p. D-3. Retrieved June 24, 2018 – via https://www.newspapers.com/.
  8. 1 2 "C&SOE Initiates Newest Electric Generating Unit". Coshocton Tribune. April 24, 1977. p. 8C. Retrieved June 26, 2018 – via https://www.newspapers.com/.
  9. ↑ "C&SOE's Leppla Met Challenge Of Past Winter". Coshocton Tribune. April 30, 1978. p. 2B. Retrieved June 26, 2018 – via https://www.newspapers.com/.
  10. ↑ Interconnection Service Agreement (PJM Queue #Y1-018) (PDF) (Report). PJM Interconnection. October 1, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  11. ↑ Savenije, Davide (August 22, 2014). "Dynegy to buy 12,500 MW for $6.25B". Utility Drive. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  12. ↑ Knox, Tom (February 24, 2017). "AEP, Dynegy swap Ohio power plant ownership". Columbus Business First. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  13. 1 2 Sweeney, Darren (October 8, 2018). "AEP plans to shut down Conesville coal plant in Ohio by 2020". S&P Global Market Intelligence. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Conesville Unit 4 Contributing To CSOE Operation". Coshocton Tribune. April 28, 1974. p. 18-A. Retrieved June 24, 2018 – via https://www.newspapers.com/.
  15. ↑ McHenry, Melissa (June 17, 2005). "AEP announces additional environmental investments at five plants in four states". AEP. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  16. 1 2 McHenry, Melissa (January 17, 2008). "News Releases". AEP. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  17. ↑ Dickerson, Kathie (May 14, 2009). "New unit ready to go online". Coshocton Tribune. p. 1-A. Retrieved June 25, 2018 – via https://www.newspapers.com/.
  18. ↑ Hunt, Spencer (July 11, 2011). "Failing Pollution Scrubbers – 'Aggressive' decay eats at power plants". The Columbus Dispatch. p. 1A. Retrieved June 26, 2018 – via https://www.newsbank.com/.
  19. ↑ "Firm Awards Contract". The Times Recorder. October 15, 1975. p. 10-B. Retrieved June 24, 2018 – via https://www.newspapers.com/.
  20. ↑ "Governor Blasts Federal EPA". The Circleville Herald. Associated Press. June 5, 1978. p. 11. Retrieved June 24, 2018 – via https://www.newspapers.com/.
  21. 1 2 "AEP to test nitrogen oxide control technology". Power Engineering. March 8, 2001. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  22. 1 2 "THERMALONOx demonstration project at AEP's Conesville Plant suggests need for additional laboratory research". Power Engineering. September 28, 2001. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Coal Data Browser – Shipments to Conesville". Energy Information Administration (EIA). Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  24. ↑ Dickerson, Kathie; Whiteman, Doug (June 10, 2011). "AEP may close six sites". Coshocton Tribune. p. 1A. Retrieved June 20, 2018 – via https://www.newspapers.com/.
  25. ↑ Dickerson, Kathie (January 13, 2013). "Conesville plant labeled as a top-5 metal polluter". Coshocton Tribune. p. 3A. Retrieved June 20, 2018 – via https://www.newspapers.com/.
  26. ↑ Hayhurst, Leonard (October 5, 2018). "AEP Conesville Plant to close by May 2020". Coshocton Tribune. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Smokestack sitters extend vigil without any regrets". The Plain Dealer. The Associated Press. February 11, 1982. p. 17-A. Retrieved June 26, 2018 – via https://www.newsbank.com/.
  28. ↑ Weidner, Nolan (February 12, 1982). "Protestors Sentenced To Jail". Coshocton Tribune. p. 1. Retrieved June 26, 2018 – via https://www.newspapers.com/.
  29. ↑ "AEP Employee Dies 2 Weeks After Conesville Explosion". The Columbus Dispatch. July 29, 2004. p. 8C. Retrieved June 26, 2018 – via https://www.newsbank.com/.
  30. ↑ Douglas, Kristy (August 12, 2004). "AEP officials determine cause of fatal accident". The Times Reporter. Retrieved June 26, 2018 – via https://www.newsbank.com/.
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