Conemaugh Generating Station

The Conemaugh Generating Station is a 1,872 MW baseload coal-powered plant located on 1,750 acres (710 ha), across the Conemaugh River from New Florence in Western Pennsylvania.

Conemaugh Generating Station
Conemaugh Generating Station
CountryUnited States
LocationWest Wheatfield Township, Indiana County, near New Florence, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°23′05″N 79°03′49″W
StatusOperational
Commission dateUnit 1: May, 1970
Unit 2: May, 1971
Owner(s)PSEG Fossil, others
Thermal power station
Primary fuelBituminous coal
Secondary fuelCoal synfuel
Turbine technologySteam turbine
Cooling towers2 × Natural Draft
Cooling sourceConemaugh River
Power generation
Nameplate capacity1872 MW
External links
CommonsRelated media on Commons

Facility

The station generates enough electricity to light 17 million 100-watt bulbs. The facility consists of two steam turbines, which began commercial operation in 1970 and 1971, and two cooling towers.

The main turbines run on steam produced by twin year-around 850 MWe boilers,[1] each as tall as a 14-story building. The plant uses more than 4 million tons of coal each year. Conemaugh has two hyperbolic natural draft cooling towers which provide recirculating water to cool and condense the steam and to limit the amount of water needed from the river.

The plant is one of several in the area, situated near Pennsylvania deep mines and is basically a twin of the Keystone Generating Station, partially owned by PSEG Power.

Controlling emissions

To control air pollution emissions, the plant is equipped with electrostatic precipitators and low-NOx burners. A wet limestone flue-gas desulfurization system was installed in the mid 1990s. The plant donated a particularly scenic portion of the site, known locally as Buttermilk Falls, to Indiana County for use as a wildlife refuge.

Company

The plant employs about 200 people and is one of the largest employers in Indiana County. It is a subsidiary of GenOn Energy Inc.

Water pollution

In March 2011, PennEnvironment and the Sierra Club won a favorable court ruling finding that the plant had committed 8,684 violations of the Clean Water Act by discharging wastewater directly into the Conemaugh River. On June 6, 2011 GenOn agreed to a $5 million settlement with $3.75 million going toward the restoration of the river.[2]

See also

References
  1. "Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, 2008" (Excel). Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy. 2008. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
  2. Puko, Timothy (2011-06-06). "Conemaugh River power plant agrees to $5M pollution settlement". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on 2013-01-31.
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