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Fort Martin power station is an operating power station of at least 1152-megawatts (MW) in Maidsville, Monongalia, West Virginia, United States.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Martin power station | Maidsville, Monongalia, West Virginia, United States | 39.710364, -79.927164 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2: 39.710364, -79.927164
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | operating | coal - bituminous | 576 | supercritical | 1967 | 2035 (planned) |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal - bituminous | 576 | supercritical | 1968 | 2035 (planned) |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner |
|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Monongahela Power Co [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Monongahela Power Co [100.0%] |
Planned retirement
In February 2024, Mon Power's parent company, First Energy, stated that they expected an "end of useful life date" of 2035 for the Fort Martin power station.[1][2] At the same time, the company announced that they had abandoned their pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30% before 2030. According to First Energy's "Climate and Position Strategy" on their website, "our 2030 interim target was dependent on GHG reductions at Fort Martin and Harrison [power station] that could be realized only through a meaningful reduction in operation of these two plants prior to 2030."[2] The company referenced West Virginia's coal-reliant energy policy as one challenge in achieving their 2030 target.[3][2]
Emissions Data
- 2006 CO2 Emissions: 7,726,962 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions: 87,565 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
- 2006 NOx Emissions: 10,090 tons
- 2005 Mercury Emissions: 416 lb.
Bond Sales
As of December 17, 2009, the Allegheny Energy was about to close on bond sales that would pay for installing a scrubber at its Fort Martin Power Station. Total bond sales are to exceed $85 million.[4]
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Fort Martin power 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.[5] 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.[6]
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from the Fort Martin power station
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 150 | $1,100,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 240 | $26,000,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 2,300 | $120,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 110 | $2,600,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 88 | $39,000,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 110 | $41,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "Annual Investor FactBook," First Energy, February 8, 2024
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Climate Position and Strategy," First Energy, accessed February 29, 2024
- ↑ "FirstEnergy forges ahead even as former execs are indicted," Energy News Network, February 15, 2024
- ↑ Allegheny Energy, "Allegheny prices bonds for plant scrubber", The Register-Herald, December 17, 2009.
- ↑ "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
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.
