North Branch Station
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North Branch Station is a retired power station in Bayard, West Virginia, United States.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| North Branch Station | Bayard, West Virginia, United States | 39.261602, -79.331152 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1: 39.261602, -79.331152
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | retired | coal - waste coal | 80 | subcritical | 1992 | 2012 |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner |
|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Virginia Electric and Power Co [100.0%] |
Background
The power station was retired in 2012.[1]
2010: Dominion proposes closing North Branch for approval of new natural gas plant
In a December 2010 accord reached with the National Park Service and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Dominion volunteered to close its North Branch Power Station when the proposed natural gas-fired Warren County Power Station near Front Royal begins commercial operations, which is scheduled for late 2014 or early 2015. Emissions reductions credits from closing the station will be combined with various other offsets to be applied as the emission mitigation plan for the new power station. The agreement is conditioned upon the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board's approval of the air permit for the proposed station, other regulatory approvals and the construction and operation of the proposed station. The air board is expected to vote on Dominion's application for the Warren County air permit at its Dec. 17, 2010 meeting. The company anticipates seeking permission from the Virginia State Corporation Commission in 2011 to build the new power station.[2]
North Branch was put in cold reserve status in August 2010, and has not been generating electricity. Without this agreement, the station could be returned to service in a short time if needed.[2]
The power station was retired in 2012.[3]
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from North Branch 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.[4] 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.[5]
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from the North Branch Station
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 5 | $38,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 8 | $930,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 83 | $4,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 4 | $93,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 3 | $1,400,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 4 | $2,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
Emissions Data
- CO2 Emissions: 771,565 tons (2006)
- SO2 Emissions: 519 tons (2002)
- SO2 Emissions per MWh:
- NOx Emissions: 694 tons (2002)
- Mercury Emissions:
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ Form EIA-860 Data - Schedule 3, Generator Data, US EIA, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Dominion Virginia Power Offers to Close Coal-Fired Station in Accord Over Proposed Gas-Fired Power Station; Closing Would Help Regional Air Quality" PR Newswire, Dec. 3, 2010.
- ↑ Form EIA-860 Data - Schedule 3, Generator Data, US EIA, 2014
- ↑ "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.
