Dan River Steam Station

Dan River Steam Station
View of the Dan River Steam Station from NC Highway 14 in Eden, NC.
Country	United States of America
Location	Eden, North Carolina
Status	Peak
Commission date	1949
Owner(s)	Duke Energy
Power station information
Primary fuel	Coal, natural gas
Combined cycle?	Planned
Power generation information
Installed capacity	276 MW, 620 MW planned

The Dan River Steam Station is currently a 276-MW coal-fired electrical power plant, owned by Duke Energy. There are also three natural gas-fueled combustion turbines at the location that provide an additional 85 MW (and which began operation in 1968^[1]), and two natural gas-fueled combined cycle turbines are planned for the near future^[2].

History

The Dan River Steam Station began construction in 1948, and was finished the following year. Coal units 1 and 2 cost a combined $15 million and were, at the time, cutting-edge. The third unit was added six years later^[3], and two natural gas-fueled combined cycle turbines are planned for the near future^[4].

Addition of combined cycle turbines

In 2007, Duke Energy began to pursue permission to add two new combined cycle, natural gas-fired, 620 MW generating units to its fleet: one at the Dan River Steam Station, the other at the Buck Steam Station in Rowan County. This was done in order to diversify the company's fuel sources, expand its generating capacity, and to modernize its energy generation by moving away from less efficient, more pollutive coal. When the two turbines are added, two of the three older coal units will go offline^[5].

References

1. ^ "Powering Up". Go Dan River. 2010. http://www2.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/rockingham_news/article/powering_up/22735/. Retrieved July, 2010. 
2. ^ Duke Energy: New Natural Gas Generation[1]
3. ^ "DUKE POWER’S DAN RIVER STATION MARKS 50TH ANNIVERSARY". Duke Power. 1999. http://www.duke-energy.com/news/releases/1999/Dec/1999120201.html. Retrieved July, 2010. 
4. ^ Duke Energy: New Natural Gas Generation[2]
5. ^ "Duke Energy Carolinas Advances Plan to Meet Growing Customer Demand". Duke Energy. 2007. http://www.duke-energy.com/news/releases/2007121401.asp. Retrieved July, 2010. 

Coordinates: 36°29′13″N 79°43′05″W / 36.487°N 79.718°W / 36.487; -79.718