Lumberton Power Plant

From Global Energy Monitor

Lumberton Power Plant is an operating power station of at least 35-megawatts (MW) in Lumberton, North Carolina, United States.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Lumberton Power Plant Lumberton, North Carolina, United States 34.590221, -78.996542 (exact)

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

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • Unit GEN1: 34.5901, -78.9968

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year Retired year
Unit 1 retired coal - unknown 34.7 subcritical 1985 2016
Unit GEN1 operating[1][2] bioenergy - wood & other biomass (solids), bioenergy - agricultural waste (solids)[1] 35[1] 1985[1]

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner Operator
Unit 1 NC Renewable Power - Lumberton LLC [100.0%]
Unit GEN1 NC Renewable Power - Lumberton LLC[1] NC Renewable Power - Lumberton LLC[1]

Unit-level fuel conversion details:

Unit 1: Converted from coal - unknown to bioenergy - wood & other biomass (solids), bioenergy - agricultural waste (solids) in 2015.

Background

The plant was converted from burning coal to biomass in 2015. [3][4][5]

Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Lumberton

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.[6] 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.[7]

Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Lumberton Power Plant

Type of Impact Annual Incidence Valuation
Deaths 4 $26,000,000
Heart attacks 5 $570,000
Asthma attacks 63 $3,000
Hospital admissions 3 $61,000
Chronic bronchitis 2 $980,000
Asthma ER visits 3 $1,000

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

2005-2006 Emissions Data

  • CO2 Emissions: 31,157 tons (2006)
  • SO2 Emissions: 53 tons (2005)
  • NOx Emissions: 19 tons (2005)

Articles and Resources

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory". US Energy Information Administration. 44655. Archived from the original on 44655. Retrieved 44655. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date=, |date=, and |archive-date= (help)
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20220708153611/https://www.planet.veolia.com/en/biomass-green-energy-chicken-droppings-lumberton-usa. Archived from the original on 08 July 2022. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |archive-date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/
  4. "Energy plant could bring 200 jobs," Robesonian, March 1, 2016
  5. Yeoman, Barry (May 27, 2022). "Poultry waste plant that has polluted in the past gets new approval in Robeson County". Border Belt Independent. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  6. "The Toll from Coal: An Updated Assessment of Death and Disease from America's Dirtiest Energy Source," Clean Air Task Force, September 2010.
  7. "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 interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Bioenergy Power Tracker and the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.