Beckjord Generating Station

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Beckjord Generating Station is a retired power station in New Richmond, Clermont, Ohio, United States. It is also known as Walter C. Beckjord Generating Station.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Beckjord Generating Station New Richmond, Clermont, Ohio, United States 38.991158, -84.298206 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6: 38.991158, -84.298206

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year Retired year
Unit 1 retired coal - bituminous 115 subcritical 1952 2012
Unit 2 retired coal - bituminous 112.5 subcritical 1953 2013
Unit 3 retired coal - bituminous 125 subcritical 1954 2013
Unit 4 retired coal - bituminous 163.2 subcritical 1958 2014
Unit 5 retired coal - bituminous 244.8 subcritical 1962 2014
Unit 6 retired coal - bituminous 460.8 subcritical 1969 2014

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner
Unit 1 Duke Energy Ohio Inc [100.0%]
Unit 2 Duke Energy Ohio Inc [100.0%]
Unit 3 Duke Energy Ohio Inc [100.0%]
Unit 4 Duke Energy Ohio Inc [100.0%]
Unit 5 Duke Energy Ohio Inc [100.0%]
Unit 6 AES Ohio LLC [50.0%], Duke Energy Ohio Inc [37.5%], Columbus Southern Power Co [12.5%]

Background

On July 15, 2011, Duke said it expects to retire all six coal-fired generation units at its Beckjord Generating Station by June 1, 2015, due to the proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rule, which will be finalised in November 2011, and will require coal-fired plants to reduce emissions of particular toxic air pollutants. The company said it plans to meet demand by buying electricity on the competitive wholesale market or by constructing or acquiring natural gas-fired combined-cycle generating assets.[1]

Beckjord unit 1 was retired in 2012; units 2 and 3 in 2013; and units 4-6 in 2014.[2]

2006: Emissions Data

  • 2006 CO2 Emissions: 6,372,648 tons
  • 2006 SO2 Emissions: 62,480 tons
  • 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
  • 2006 NOx Emissions: 11,844 tons
  • 2005 Mercury Emissions: 339 lb.

2010: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Beckjord Generating Station

In 2010, Abt Associates issued a study commissioned by the Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, quantifying the deaths and other health effects attributable to fine particle pollution from coal-fired power plants.[3] Fine particle pollution consists of a complex mixture of soot, heavy metals, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. Among these particles, the most dangerous are those less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which are so tiny that they can evade the lung's natural defenses, enter the bloodstream, and be transported to vital organs. Impacts are especially severe among the elderly, children, and those with respiratory disease. The study found that over 13,000 deaths and tens of thousands of cases of chronic bronchitis, acute bronchitis, asthma, congestive heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, dysrhythmia, ischemic heart disease, chronic lung disease, and pneumonia each year are attributable to fine particle pollution from U.S. coal plant emissions. These deaths and illnesses are major examples of coal's external costs, i.e. uncompensated harms inflicted upon the public at large. Low-income and minority populations are disproportionately impacted as well, due to the tendency of companies to avoid locating power plants upwind of affluent communities. To monetize the health impact of fine particle pollution from each coal plant, Abt assigned a value of $7,300,000 to each 2010 mortality, based on a range of government and private studies. Valuations of illnesses ranged from $52 for an asthma episode to $440,000 for a case of chronic bronchitis.[4]

Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from the Beckjord Generating Station

Type of Impact Annual Incidence Valuation
Deaths 140 $1,000,000,000
Heart attacks 220 $24,000,000
Asthma attacks 2,300 $120,000
Hospital admissions 100 $2,400,000
Chronic bronchitis 85 $38,000,000
Asthma ER visits 140 $50,000

Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011

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Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.