Cogentrix Portsmouth Facility
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Cogentrix Portsmouth Facility is a retired power station in Portsmouth, Portsmouth City, Virginia, United States.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Cogentrix Portsmouth Facility | Portsmouth, Portsmouth City, Virginia, United States | 36.870239, -76.352275 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2: 36.870239, -76.352275
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | retired | coal: unknown | 57 | subcritical | 1988 | 2015 |
| Unit 2 | retired | coal: unknown | 57 | subcritical | 1988 | 2015 |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Quantum Utility Generation LLC [100%] | Quantum Utility Generation LLC [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Quantum Utility Generation LLC [100%] | Quantum Utility Generation LLC [100.0%] |
Background
The power station was also known as the Cogentrix Virginia Leasing Corporation plant. It was owned and operated by Cogentrix (which is owned by Goldman Sachs) near Portsmouth, Virginia.
The plant was deactivated in 2015.[1]
Cogentrix Portsmouth Facility and Environmental Justice
The Cogentrix Portsmouth Facility has 53,186 residents within a 3-mile radius and 4,244 within a one-mile radius. Within the 3-mile radius, 40.4% of residents are non-white with a per capita income of $19,424, below the U.S. per capita income of $21,587,[2] raising issues around environmental justice and coal. Cogentrix Portsmouth Facility is among over 100 coal plants near residential areas.
2006 Emissions Data
- 2006 CO2 Emissions: 941,945 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions:
- 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
- 2006 NOx Emissions:
- 2005 Mercury Emissions:
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Cogentrix Portsmouth Facility
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 Cogentrix Portsmouth Facility
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 6 | $41,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 9 | $960,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 97 | $5,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 4 | $100,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 4 | $1,600,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 5 | $2,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
2012-2016 details
Portsmouth Genco was purchased by the private equity firm Carlyle Group from Goldman Sachs in September of 2012,[5] and the deal was exited in 2016. More information about this deal can be found on GEM's "Carlyle's Private Equity Investments" Wiki page.
During the time Carlyle was involved with Portsmouth Genco, the EPA emissions data[6] were as follows:
| Total CO2 emissions (Tonnes CO2e) 2012 | Total CO2 emissions (Tonnes CO2e) 2013 | Total CO2 emissions (Tonnes CO2e) 2014 | Total CO2 emissions (Tonnes CO2e) 2015 | Total CO2 emissions (Tonnes CO2e) 2016 |
| 48386 | 70905 | 150837 | 90363 | 0 |
| Methane emissions (Tonnes CO2e) 2012 | Methane emissions (Tonnes CO2e) 2013 | Methane emissions (Tonnes CO2e) 2014 | Methane emissions (Tonnes CO2e) 2015 | Methane emissions (Tonnes CO2e) 2016 |
| 142 | 208 | 442 | 263 | 0 |
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "FERC approval sought for sale of shut Portsmouth Genco coal plant in Virginia," Hubs Biz, Feb 12, 2016
- ↑ United States - Income and Poverty in 1999: 2000, U.S. Census Bureau, 2000.
- ↑ "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
- ↑ Walzer, Phil (2012-9-8). "Carlyle Group to buy power plant in Portsmouth". pilotonline.com. Retrieved 2022-5-24.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=and|date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "GHG Facility Details - Virginia Renewable Power - Portsmouth, LLC". ghgdata.epa.gov. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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.
