Grant Town Power Plant
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Grant Town Power Plant is an operating power station of at least 95-megawatts (MW) in Grant Town, West Virginia, United States.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Grant Town Power Plant | Grant Town, West Virginia, United States | 39.560277, -80.162893 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1: 39.560277, -80.162893
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | operating | coal: waste coal | 95.7 | subcritical | 1992 |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Modesto Irrigation District [100%] | Modesto Irrigation District [100.0%] |
Plant Info and Coal Source
According to the EIA 923 database the last recorded coal delivery was in 2018. The facility also gets waste coal from sites owned or leased by the owner (American Bitumunous Power Partners). [1] A legal dispute spanning multiple decades has taken place between American Bituminous Power LP and Horizon Ventures, the owner of the property. The litigation involves failure by American Bituminous Power LP to make rental payments on the property.[2]
Unit Retirement
According to the EIA 860 database the unit is not scheduled for retirement. In July 2018 it was reported that the plant was in danger of shutting down because the facility is losing money.[3] In combination with the point they have not received any coal deliveries, the plant might be shut down or it is running at very reduced capacity.
Cryptocurrency Proposal
In November 2021, the plant’s owner revealed a proposal in state documents to continue burning a mix of discarded shale, clay, and slurry dug out of nearby coal mines that closed years ago. The electricity would be used to power high-speed computers for online cryptocurrency mining. The power plant lost $117 million over the last five years, according to documents filed with the West Virginia Public Service Commission.[4][5]
Grant Town wants to be bought out from its energy contract with Mon Power, a FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiary, so it can power the cryptocurrency mining that relies on high-powered computers. The PSC filing didn't identify who would buy the power, but there's growing demand among cryptocurrency miners for electricity. Under the proposal, the plant envisions tapping another source of revenue by selling ash for the production of concrete.[4]
Emissions Data
- CO2 Emissions: 650,946 tons (2006)
- SO2 Emissions: 1,491 tons (2002)
- SO2 Emissions per MWh:
- NOx Emissions: 1,032 tons (2002)
- Mercury Emissions:
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Grant Town Power 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 Grant Town Power Plant
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 9 | $63,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 14 | $1,500,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 130 | $7,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 6 | $150,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 5 | $2,200,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 6 | $2,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "AMERICAN BITUMINOUS POWER PARTNERS, L.P. and MONONGAHELA POWER COMPANY," West Virginia Public Service Commission, Case No. 87-669-E-P, August 13, 2015, Page 11
- ↑ "W.Va. Supreme Court reverses lower court ruling in case involving Grant Town Power Plant and coal company," Times West Virginian, April 19, 2022
- ↑ "Grant Town Power Plant in danger of shutting down" wdtv.com, Juli 3, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "As a coal plant fights for life, it could enrich Manchin," Politico, November 20, 2021
- ↑ "Direct Testimonies," West Virginia Public Service Commission, Case No. 21-0658-E-ENEC, November 12, 2021
- ↑ "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.
