- Muskingum River Power Plant
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Muskingum River Power Plant Location of Muskingum River Power Plant
Country United States Location Waterford Township, Washington County, near Beverly, Ohio Coordinates 39°35′18″N 81°40′57″W / 39.58833°N 81.6825°WCoordinates: 39°35′18″N 81°40′57″W / 39.58833°N 81.6825°W Status Active Commission date Unit 1: December, 1953
Unit 2: June, 1954
Unit 3: December, 1957
Unit 4: May, 1958
Unit 5: October, 1968Owner(s) AEP Power station information Primary fuel Bituminous coal Power generation information Maximum capacity 1,400 MWe Muskingum River Power Plant is a major coal-fired power station, owned and operated by American Electric Power. It is located on the west bank of Muskingum River, about 4 miles (6 km) north-west of the town of Beverly, Ohio, USA.
Contents
Units
Four out of five plant's units are among the oldest in the United States:[1]
Unit Nameplate capacity (MWe) Commissioned Notes 1 219.6 1953 2 219.6 1954 3 237.5 1957 4 237.5 1958 5 615.2 1968 Supercritical unit, uses closed-loop
water cooling via a cooling towerEnvironmental impact
Sulphur dioxide emissions
As of 2007, Muskingum River was the second most-polluting major power station in the country in terms of sulphur dioxide (SO2) gas emission rate: it discharged 32.78 pounds (14.87 kg) of SO2 for each MWh of electric power produced that year (122,984 tons of SO2 per year in total).[2] With the installment of scrubbers at the Gallagher Station in 2008, it is likely to top the nation's list of the dirtiest power plants. Flue gas desulfurization system for the newer and the most powerful unit 5 is planned for December, 2010.[3]
Waste heat
Units 1–4 discharge their waste heat (about twice their combined electrical output) into Muskingum River.
Accidents and incidents
2007 hydrogen explosion
On January 8, 2007, a hydrogen supply truck was making its routine weekly delivery of H2 gas to the station's hydrogen system, when an explosion occurred at 9:20 a.m. Truck driver was killed in the accident, and ten other people were injured. Premature failure of the pressure-relief device's rupture disc was blamed.[4]
Two civil trials in 2011, however, essentially rejected AEP's claims that rupture discs and a third party contractor were to blame. The juries determined that AEP had acted with "deliberate intent"[5] toward its own employee, Drumand McLaughlin, and with "conscious disregard" for the rights of the truck driver, Lewis Timmons, who was killed. A total of almost $13,000,000.00 was assessed in damages as of August 29th, 2011, including punitive damages to punish AEP subsidiaries Ohio Power Company and American Electric Power Service Corporation for their misconduct in failing to maintain the hydrogen systems.[6] The companies were also to be assessed attorney's fees.
References
- ^ "Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, 2006" (Excel). Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy. 2006. http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/capacity/capacity.html. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
- ^ "Dirty Kilowatts 2007 Report Database". Environmental Integrity Project. http://www.dirtykilowatts.org/. Retrieved May, 2008.
- ^ Nathan Long. "Muskingum River Plant Emissions Reduction Programs" (PPT). Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate. http://www.asiapacificpartnership.org/PowerGenTF/AEP%20Site%20Visit/23%20-%20Muskingum%20River%20Plant%20Emissions%20Reduction%20Pgm.ppt. Retrieved December, 2008 (cashed by Google).
- ^ Kenneth Frazier, Vice President for Safety and Health (2007). "Muskingum River Plant Hydrogen Explosion" (PPT). EEI. http://www.eei.org/meetings/nonav_2007-04-29-cs/Citations_Accident_Review.pdf. Retrieved December, 2008.
- ^ Brad Bauer (2011). "Injured AEP Worker gets 5.5 Million Dollar Award". Marietta Times. http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/536875/Injured-AEP-worker-gets--5-5M-award.html?nav=5002. Retrieved July, 2011.
- ^ Kyla Asbury (2011). "Marshall Jury Returns $7,000,000.00 Verdict in AEP Blast Case". West Virginia Record. http://wvrecord.com/news/237892-marshall-jury-returns-7-million-verdict-in-aep-blast-case. Retrieved August, 2011.
External links
Categories:- Coal-fired power stations in Ohio
- Buildings and structures in Washington County, Ohio
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