Kanawha River Plant

From Global Energy Monitor
Part of the
Global Coal Plant Tracker,
a Global Energy Monitor project.
Download full dataset
Report an error
Related coal trackers:

Kanawha River Plant is a retired power station in Glasgow, Kanawha, West Virginia, United States.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Kanawha River Plant Glasgow, Kanawha, West Virginia, United States 38.206742, -81.422903 (exact)

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

Loading map...


Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • Unit 1, Unit 2: 38.206742, -81.422903

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year Retired year
Unit 1 retired coal - bituminous 219.6 subcritical 1953 2015
Unit 2 retired coal - bituminous 219.6 subcritical 1953 2015

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner
Unit 1 Appalachian Power Co [100.0%]
Unit 2 Appalachian Power Co [100.0%]

Background

The power station was shut down in May 2015.[1]

Proposed coal plant closures

On June 9, 2011, AEP announced that, based on impending EPA regulations as proposed, AEP’s compliance plan would retire nearly 6,000 megawatts (MW) of coal-fueled power generation; upgrade or install new advanced emissions reduction equipment on another 10,100 MW; refuel 1,070 MW of coal generation as 932 MW of natural gas capacity; and build 1,220 MW of natural gas-fueled generation. The cost of AEP’s compliance plan could range from $6 billion to $8 billion in capital investment through the end of the decade.[2]

AEP’s current plan for compliance with the rules as proposed includes permanently retiring the following coal-fueled power plants:[2]

  • Glen Lyn Plant, Glen Lyn, Va. – 335 MW (retired by Dec. 31, 2014);
  • Kammer Plant, Moundsville, W.Va. – 630 MW (retired by Dec. 31, 2014) (pictured above)
  • Kanawha River Plant, Glasgow, W.Va. – 400 MW (retired by Dec. 31, 2014);
  • Philip Sporn Power Plant, New Haven, W.Va. – 1,050 MW (450 MW expected to retire in 2011, 600 MW retired by Dec. 31, 2014); and
  • Picway Power Plant, Lockbourne, Ohio – 100 MW (retired by Dec. 31, 2014).

Emissions Data (2006)

  • 2006 CO2 Emissions: 2,182,018 tons
  • 2006 SO2 Emissions:
  • 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
  • 2006 NOx Emissions:
  • 2005 Mercury Emissions:

Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Kanawha River Plant

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 Kanawha River Plant

Type of Impact Annual Incidence Valuation
Deaths 40 $290,000,000
Heart attacks 63 $6,900,000
Asthma attacks 640 $33,000
Hospital admissions 31 $700,000
Chronic bronchitis 24 $11,000,000
Asthma ER visits 33 $12,000

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

Coal Waste Site

Articles and Resources

References

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.