Ashtabula power station

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Ashtabula power station is a retired power station in Ashtabula, Ohio, United States.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Ashtabula power station Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Ohio, United States 41.909208, -80.769817 (exact)

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

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • Unit 5, Unit 6, Unit 7, Unit 8, Unit 9: 41.909208, -80.769817

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year Retired year
Unit 5 retired coal: bituminous 256 subcritical 1958 2015
Unit 6 retired coal: bituminous 46 subcritical 1953 2002
Unit 7 retired coal: bituminous 46 subcritical 1953 2002
Unit 8 retired coal: bituminous 46 subcritical 1972 2002
Unit 9 retired coal: bituminous 46 subcritical 1972 2002

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner Parent
Unit 5 FirstEnergy Generation Corp [100%] FirstEnergy Corp
Unit 6 FirstEnergy Generation Corp [100%] FirstEnergy Corp
Unit 7 FirstEnergy Generation Corp [100%] FirstEnergy Corp
Unit 8 FirstEnergy Generation Corp [100%] FirstEnergy Corp
Unit 9 FirstEnergy Generation Corp [100%] FirstEnergy Corp

Proposed coal plants closures

On August 12, 2010, FirstEnergy announced that its FirstEnergy Generation Corp. subsidiary plans to make operational changes at certain of its smaller coal-fired units in response to the continued slow economy and lower demand for electricity, as well as uncertainty related to proposed new federal environmental regulations. The changes - which affect Bay Shore Plant units 2-4 in Oregon, Ohio; Eastlake Power Plant units 1-4 in Eastlake, Ohio; the Lake Shore Plant in Cleveland, Ohio; and the Ashtabula power station in Ashtabula, Ohio - are designed to reduce operating costs.[1]

During the period September 2010 to August 2011, the affected units will operate only with a minimum three-day notice. Beginning in September 2011 and continuing for approximately 18 months, the Ashtabula power station and the Lake Shore Plant will be idled temporarily, an even lower operating status than the minimum three-day-notice status.[2]

On January 26, 2012, FirstEnergy said it is permanently closing six of its coal plants by September 1, 2012: Bay Shore Plant, Units 2-4, in Oregon, Ohio; Eastlake Power Plant in Eastlake, Ohio; Ashtabula Plant in Ashtabula, Ohio; Lake Shore Plant in Cleveland, Ohio; Armstrong Power Station in Adrian, Pennsylvania; and the R. Paul Smith Power Station in Williamsport, Maryland. The plants had served mostly as peaking or intermediate facilities.[3]

In May 2012, FirstEnergy said it was delaying the closing of the Ashtabula power station - as well as its Eastlake Power Plant and Lake Shore Plant - until 2015 so that it can make upgrades to its transmission lines.[4]

The plant shut down on April 15, 2015.[5]

Emissions Data

  • 2006 CO2 Emissions: 1,686,153 tons
  • 2006 SO2 Emissions:
  • 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
  • 2006 NOx Emissions:
  • 2005 Mercury Emissions:

Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Ashtabula 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.[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 the Ashtabula Plant

Type of Impact Annual Incidence Valuation
Deaths 18 $130,000,000
Heart attacks 29 $3,200,000
Asthma attacks 270 $14,000
Hospital admissions 13 $310,000
Chronic bronchitis 10 $4,600,000
Asthma ER visits 13 $5,000

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

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.