Green Station
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Green Station is an operating power station of at least 586-megawatts (MW) in Sebree, Henderson, Kentucky, United States. It is also known as R.D. Green Station.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Green Station | Sebree, Henderson, Kentucky, United States | 37.646678, -87.501403 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2: 37.646678, -87.501403
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1, timepoint 1 | Retired[1] | coal: bituminous | 293 | subcritical | no[2] | 1979 | 2022[1] |
| Unit 1, timepoint 2 | Operating[3][4][5] | fossil gas: natural gas[3][4] | 293[6] | steam turbine[2] | no[2] | 2022[3][5][2] | – |
| Unit 2, timepoint 1 | Retired[1] | coal: bituminous | 293 | subcritical | no[2] | 1981 | 2022[1] |
| Unit 2, timepoint 2 | Operating[3][4][5] | fossil gas: natural gas[3][4] | 293[6] | steam turbine[2] | no[2] | 2022[3][5][2] | – |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1, timepoint 1 | Big Rivers Electric Corp [100%] | Big Rivers Electric Corp [100.0%] |
| Unit 1, timepoint 2 | Big Rivers Electric Corp [100%] | Big Rivers Electric Corp [100.0%] |
| Unit 2, timepoint 1 | Big Rivers Electric Corp [100%] | Big Rivers Electric Corp [100.0%] |
| Unit 2, timepoint 2 | Big Rivers Electric Corp [100%] | Big Rivers Electric Corp [100.0%] |
Unit-level fuel conversion details:
Unit 1: Converted from coal to fossil gas in 2022.
Unit 2: Converted from coal to fossil gas in 2022.
Planned retirement
According to the 2020 Integrated Resource Plan of Big Rivers Electric Corporation, the Green coal plant will be suspended by June of 2022 in order to comply with EPA regulations. According to the company: "Converting the units to natural gas as a capacity only resource is currently uneconomic and would involve regulatory risk, but Big Rivers will continue to examine the feasibility of that approach. A recent (August 2020) EPA order may create an opportunity to extend the life of the Green units through December 31, 2028. Analysis of that opportunity is ongoing at the deadline for submitting this IRP."[7]
Updates from August 2021 indicated that the natural gas conversion would likely go forward, raising concerns about greenhouse gas emissions continuing at high levels.[8] The company Graycor Southern listed a coal system removal project for the Robert D. Green station on their website as of July 2022.
In June 2022, after the intended deadline for the fuel conversion had passed, two workers died at the power station after falling into a confined drainage system. The official cause of death and reason for the accident was unknown.[9]
In August 2022, it was reported in the media that the plant had begun using gas instead of coal. Big Rivers had partnered with Burns & McDonnell for the plant conversion.[10] In their 2022 Annual Report, Big Rivers confirmed that the gas conversion was completed and the coal units were retired in 2022.[11]
Pollution controls
To comply with the EPA Transport Rule, Big Rivers had been planning to install scrubbers for sulfur dioxide at its D.B Wilson plant in Centertown, at a cost of about $139 million, and a selective catalytic reduction to curb nitrogen oxides at its Robert D. Green plant in Robards, at a cost of about $81 million. One day after a federal appeals court struck down the rule in August 2012, Big Rivers said it was scrapping the pollution control plans to save its customers about $225 million.[12]
Emissions Data
- 2006 CO2 Emissions: 3,923,035 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions:
- 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
- 2006 NOx Emissions:
- 2005 Mercury Emissions:
Citizen groups
- Coal River Mountain Watch
- Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
- Kentucky Environmental Foundation
- Kentucky Riverkeeper
- New Power
- Kentucky Environmental Foundation, Berea, KY, phone: (859) 986-7565
- Sierra Club Cumberland Chapter
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240207001021/https://www.bigrivers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2022_BigRivers_AnnualReport.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 07 February 2024.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 https://web.archive.org/web/20220712171434/https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/xls/april_generator2022.xlsx. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20220709065643/https://psc.ky.gov/pscecf/2021-00079/tyson.kamuf@bigrivers.com/03012021090644/Application_for_Green_Station_CPCN_and_Reg_Asset-FINAL_Redacted.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 09 July 2022.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20230424225322/https://www.wevv.com/news/kentucky/big-rivers-implodes-idled-power-plants-at-sebree-station/article_9c057922-e2a5-11ed-b781-63ee5db40475.html. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 https://www.power-eng.com/gas/coal-to-gas-conversion-completed-at-500-mw-kentucky-plant/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20230918190319/https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/archive/xls/may_generator2023.xlsx. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Integrated Resource Plan, Big Rivers Electric Corporation, 2020
- ↑ Ryan Van Velzer (2021-07-01). "Another KY Coal Plant To Retire, But The Pollution Remains – 89.3 WFPL News Louisville". 89.3 WFPL News Louisville. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
- ↑ What to know: 2 workers die after fall at Big Rivers Electric plant, Courier & Press, June 8, 2022
- ↑ "Coal-to-gas conversion completed at 500 MW Kentucky plant". Power Engineering. August 18, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "2022 Annual Report," Big Rivers Electric Corporation, May 2023
- ↑ James Bruggers, "Western Kentucky utility withdraws pollution-control plan after appeals court strikes down EPA limits," The Courier-Journal, August 22, 2012.
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
