Elmer Smith Station
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Elmer Smith Station is a power station in Owensboro, Daviess, Kentucky, United States with multiple units of varying statuses, none of which are currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Elmer Smith Station | Owensboro, Daviess, Kentucky, United States | 37.794683, -87.060717 (exact) |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- 1, Unit 1, Unit 2: 37.794683, -87.060717
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year | Emergency/Backup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Announced[1][2] | fossil gas: natural gas[1] | 545[1] | unknown | – | – | no |
| Unit 1 | Retired | coal: bituminous | 163 | subcritical | 1964 | 2020 | no |
| Unit 2 | Retired | coal: bituminous | 282 | subcritical | 1974 | 2020 | no |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Green River East GenCo LLC [100%][1] | Green River East GenCo LLC [100.0%] |
| Unit 1 | Owensboro Municipal Utilities [100%] | Owensboro Municipal Utilities [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Owensboro Municipal Utilities [100%] | Owensboro Municipal Utilities [100.0%] |
Impacts
Potential emissions and details on the project's status and permit applications can be viewed on Oil and Gas Watch page here.
The Oil and Gas Watch database, created by Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), is a free, public-facing tool designed to track the rapid expansion of fossil fuel and petrochemical infrastructure in the United States. Oil and Gas Watch maps new and expanding oil, gas, and petrochemical infrastructure projects across the country and monitors each project’s construction status so the public can stay informed about major oil and gas developments being proposed in their communities. We track key environmental approvals companies must obtain before starting construction or operations and provide access to thousands of government records and permits unearthed by our analysts.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Unit Retirements
In March 2017 it was reported that Unit 1 was planned for retirement in 2019, and unit 2 in 2023.[3]
In June 2018 the Owensboro Municipal Utility Commission said it would retire both units in 2020.[4]
Unit 1 was idled permanently in May 2019.[5] Unit 2 retired on May 29, 2020.[6]
Emissions Data
- 2006 CO2 Emissions: 2,846,615 tons [7]
- 2006 SO2 Emissions: 2,525 tons [8]
- 2006 NOx Emissions: 7,045 tons [9]
- 2005 Mercury Emissions: 59 lb. [10]
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from the Elmer Smith 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.[11] The study found that over 13,000 deaths and tens of thousands of cases of chronic bronchitis, acute bronchitis, asthma-related episodes and asthma-related emergency room visits, congestive heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, dysrhythmia, ischemic heart disease, chronic lung disease, peneumonia each year are attributable to fine particle pollution from U.S. coal-fired power plants. Fine particle pollution is formed from a combination of soot, acid droplets, and heavy metals formed from sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and soot. Among those particles, the most dangerous are the smallest (smaller than 2.5 microns), 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. 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.
The table below estimates the death and illness attributable to the Elmer Smith Station. 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.[12]
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from the Elmer Smith Station
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 10 | $75,000 |
| Heart attacks | 16 | $1,700,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 170 | $9,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 7 | $170,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 6 | $2,800,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 11 | $4,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
Toxic Waste Data
Environmental Protection Agency Toxic Release Inventory: Elmer Smith Plant[13]
- Arsenic Waste: 16,276 pounds
- Air Release: 448 pounds
- Water Release (Ohio River): 600 pounds
- Land Release (Landfill): 15,228 pounds
- Chromium Waste: 33,490 pounds
- Air Release: 284 pounds
- Water Release (Ohio River): 4,804 pounds
- Land Release (Landfill): 28,402 pounds
- Dioxin Waste: 1.55 grams
- Air Release: 1.55 grams
- Lead Waste: 14,623 pounds
- Air Release: 459.3 pounds
- Water Release (Ohio River): 1,200.9 pounds
- Land Release: 12,962.8 pounds
- Nickel Waste: 27,423 pounds
- Air Release: 306 pounds
- Water Release (Ohio River): 1,201 pounds
- Land Release: 25,916 pounds
- Total Land Release: 82,508.8 pounds
- Total Air Release: 1,497.3 pounds
- Total Water Release (Ohio River): 7,805.9 pounds
Litigation and Controversy
- October 17, 1989
- Elmer Smith plant is given a 5-star rating by Research Data International which cited the plant’s ability to compete in future deregulated markets, current performance rates, and sulfur dioxide emissions rates.
- August 17, 2007
- The Environmental Integrity Protection ranked the Elmer Smith plant as the 9th dirtiest in CO2 emissions per megawatt hour and 12th in NOX.[14]
Citizen groups
- Coal River Mountain Watch
- Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
- Kentucky Environmental Foundation
- Kentucky Riverkeeper
- New Power
- Kentucky Environmental Foundation, Berea, KY, phone: (859) 986-7565
- Sierra Club Cumberland Chapter
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 https://www.owensborotimes.com/news/2026/06/omu-exploring-545-megawatt-natural-gas-power-plant-at-former-elmer-smith-site/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://transformer-magazine.com/news/omu-studies-1-b-gas-plant/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "OWENSBORO MUNICIPAL UTILITY ANNOUNCES ELMER SMITH RETIREMENT," Sierra Club, March 16, 2017
- ↑ "Market Forces Drive Another Kentucky Coal Power Plant To Retire," WFPL, June 26, 2018
- ↑ Wilkins, Don (November 5, 2019). "OMU board hears plan for decommissioning coal-fired power plant". Messenger Inquirer.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "OMU ends coal-fired electricity production" 14news.com, May 29, 2020.
- ↑ "Carbon Monitoring For Action: Elmer Smith Plant Data". The Center for Global Development.
- ↑ "Facility Criteria Air Pollutants: Elmer Smith Facility Data". Environmental Protection Agency.
- ↑ "Facility Criteria Air Pollutants: Elmer Smith Facility Data". Environmental Protection Agency.
- ↑ "Toxic Release Inventory: Elmer Smith Plant". Environmental Protection Agency. October 27, 2007.
- ↑ "The Toll from Coal: An Updated Assessment of Death and Disease from America's Dirtiest Energy Source," Clean Air Task Force, September 2010.
- ↑ "Technical Support Document for the Powerplant Impact Estimator Software Tool," Prepared for the Clean Air Task Force by Abt Associates, July 2010
- ↑ Toxic Release Inventory: Elmer Smith Plant, Right to Know Network, archived November 9, 2012
- ↑ "Dirty Kilowatts". Environmental Integrity Project. July 2007.
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
