Glen Lyn Plant
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Glen Lyn Plant is a retired power station in Glen Lyn, Giles, Virginia, United States.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Glen Lyn Plant | Glen Lyn, Giles, Virginia, United States | 37.369417, -80.863014 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 5, Unit 6: 37.369417, -80.863014
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 5 | retired | coal: bituminous | 100 | subcritical | 1944 | 2015 |
| Unit 6 | retired | coal: bituminous | 237.5 | subcritical | 1957 | 2015 |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 5 | Appalachian Power Co [100%] | American Electric Power Co Inc [100.0%] |
| Unit 6 | Appalachian Power Co [100%] | American Electric Power Co Inc [100.0%] |
Background
The power station was shut down in 2015.[1]
2011: 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).
The shutdowns were announced in a June 9, 2011 press release in which AEP blamed the Environmental Protection Agency for the plant closures and said layoffs of 600 workers would result. [3] The announcement set off a storm of controversy. The Wall Street Journal called it a result of "EPA's War on Jobs" and said: "The real goal of the EPA's rule is to shut down fossil fuel electric power in the name of climate change. The consensus estimate in the private sector is that the utility rule and eight others on the EPA docket will force the retirement of 60 out of the country's current 340 gigawatts of coal-fired capacity." [4] The New York Times took a different view: "This is a deceptive and particularly cynical claim... These units are, on average, 55 years old. Some are running at only 5 percent of capacity. Many had long been slated for retirement, in part to comply with a 2007 settlement with the George W. Bush administration in which the company agreed to settle violations of the Clean Air Act by spending $4.7 billion to retire or retrofit aging units." [5]
The power station was shut down in May 2015.[6]
2010: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Glen Lyn 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.[7] 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.[8]
Emissions Data (2005-2006)
- 2006 CO2 Emissions: 1,654,470 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions:
- 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
- 2006 NOx Emissions:
- 2005 Mercury Emissions:
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Glen Lyn Plant
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 31 | $220,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 47 | $5,200,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 480 | $25,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 23 | $530,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 18 | $8,100,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 25 | $9,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
Coal Ash Waste and Water Contamination
In August 2010 a study released by the Environmental Integrity Project, the Sierra Club and Earthjustice reported that Virginia, along with 34 states, had significant groundwater contamination from coal ash that was not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The report, in an attempt to pressure the EPA to regulate coal ash, noted that most states do not monitor drinking water contamination levels near waste disposal sites.[9] The report mentioned Virginia's Clinch River Plant and Glen Lyn Plant as two sites that have groundwater contamination due to coal ash waste.[10]
Other coal waste sites
To see a nationwide list of over 350 coal waste sites in the United States, click here.
Citizen groups
- Appalachian Voices
- Blue Ridge Earth First
- Concerned Citizens of Giles County
- Do Something Charlottesville
- Chesapeake Climate Action Virginia
- Mountain Justice Blacksburg
- Sierra Club Virginia Chapter
- Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards
- Virginia Tech Beyond Coal
- Wise Energy for Virginia
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "American Electric Power stops generation at 10 coal-fired plants," Platts, 1 June 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "AEP would shutter 5 coal plants to meet EPA rules" Coal Tattoo, June 9, 2011.
- ↑ Laurence Hammack, "AEP announces plan to close coal-burning Giles County power plant" Roanoke Times, June 9, 2011.
- ↑ "EPA's War on Coal" Wall Street Journal, June 13, 2011.
- ↑ "AEP protests too much" New York Times, June 20, 2011.
- ↑ "American Electric Power stops generation at 10 coal-fired plants," Platts, 1 June 2015
- ↑ "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
- ↑ "Study of coal ash sites finds extensive water contamination" Renee Schoff, Miami Herald, August 26, 2010.
- ↑ "Enviro groups: ND, SD coal ash polluting water" Associated Press, August 24, 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.
