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Iatan Generating Station is an operating power station of at least 1640-megawatts (MW) in Weston, Platte, Missouri, United States.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Iatan Generating Station | Weston, Platte, Missouri, United States | 39.4466694, -94.980175 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1: 39.4466694, -94.980175
- Unit 2: 39.449833, -94.978611
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | operating | coal: subbituminous | 726 | subcritical | 1980 | 2039 (planned) |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal: subbituminous | 914 | supercritical | 2010 | – |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Evergy Metro Inc [70%]; Evergy Missouri West Inc [18%]; Empire District Electric Company [12%] | Evergy Inc [88.0%]; Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp |
| Unit 2 | Evergy Metro Inc [54%]; Evergy Missouri West Inc [18%]; Empire District Electric Company [12%]; other [3%]; Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission [11%] | Evergy Inc [72.7%]; Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission [11.8%]; other [3.5%]; Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp |
Ownership
The plant was owned by Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L). In 2016, KCP&L and Westar announced merger plans,[1] but this proposed merger was rejected by Kansas Corporation Commission utility regulators as unfavorable to Kansas consumers.[2] A new merger plan with KCP&L was announced in 2017.[3] As of May 24, 2018, this merger has been approved by both the Missouri Public Service Commission and the Kansas Corporation Commission, with the combined company to be named Evergy.[4] KCP&L and Westar became the two operating companies of Evergy.
On October 7, 2019, the Westar and KCP&L brands were retired, and the company adopted the Evergy brand across its entire service territory.[5]
Iatan 2
History
In March 2007, KCP&L, the Sierra Club, and the Concerned Citizens of Platte County (CCPC) agreed to a legally binding contract that will run through 2015 and reduce emissions for the Kansas City-based utility, thus resolving four appeals and a six year dispute with the Sierra Club. KCP&L agreed to reduce overall carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent by 2020 through legislative and regulatory changes that are yet to be determined, and also agreed to offset all greenhouse gas emissions at its Iatan 2 unit. This will be accomplished by adding 400 MW of wind power, and programs that will save 300 MW of energy demand. The measures will be initiated by 2010 and fully implemented by 2012.[6]
In May 2008, KCP&L released new cost estimates for plant, raising the cost 15 percent to almost $2 billion, and indicated it may increase the estimate again after the engineering analysis is complete. KCP&L expects to raise customers' electric rates by over 25 percent to cover costs of the new plant.[7]
The Kansas Electric Power Cooperative (KEPC), which wants to invest $55 million in the plant for a 3.5 percent share, was turned away by the Rural Utilities Service when the agency issued a moratorium on loans for new coal plants in early 2008. However, KEPC received alternate financing from the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC) at 2 percentage points higher than the original RUS loan.[8]
On January 13, 2010, KCP&L announced that construction of the new plant had fallen behind schedule. The company estimated that the plant could be in service two months later than expected. The delay could also push back a rate increase request filed in Kansas and slated for October 2010, and another to be filed in Missouri and slated for the first quarter of 2011.[9] On December 7, 2010, Governor Jay Nixon dedicated the Iatan 2 plant.[10]
Rate Increase
According to an August 2008 update by the Sierra Club, Platte County School district is concerned that KCP & Light is not paying enough taxes on its Iatan 2 unit. Given the rising costs of the plant construction, the school feels the amount that they are receiving will not be enough to offset the financial difficulties they will face once the new projects are completed.[11]
In April 2011, the Missouri Public Service Commission voted 5-0 to approve Kansas City Power & Light’s (KCP&L) request for a $34.8 million rate increase. KCP&L initially sought an increase of $92.1 million, stating higher than expected running costs of the new Iatan 2 plant as the primary reason for the increase request. Under the new agreement, which will go into effect May 4, 2011, roughly 350,000 customers in Kansas City will see an estimated increase in their monthly bill of $4.85 (5.23%). Starting in June 2011, customers once served by Aquila Inc.’s Missouri Public Service and St. Joseph Light and Power will also pay higher annual rates. This is the fourth rate increase KCP&L has been granted since 2005.[12]
Retirement plans
Evergy's 2021 Integrated Resource Plan indicated that Iatan Unit 1 was slated to retire in 2039.[13]
Emissions Data
- 2006 CO2 Emissions: 5,397,589 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions: 17,518 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
- 2006 NOx Emissions: 7,652 tons
- 2005 Mercury Emissions: 220 lb.
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Iatan Generating Station
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.[14] 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.[15]
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from the Iatan Generating Station
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 9 | $63,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 13 | $1,400,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 150 | $8,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 6 | $150,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 5 | $2,400,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 9 | $4,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
Coal Waste
Iatan ranked 94th on list of most polluting power plants in terms of coal waste
In January 2009, Sue Sturgis of the Institute of Southern Studies compiled a list of the 100 most polluting coal plants in the United States in terms of coal combustion waste (CCW) stored in surface impoundments like the one involved in the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant coal ash spill.[16] The data came from the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) for 2006, the most recent year available.[17]
Iatan Generating Station ranked number 94 on the list, with 240,245 pounds of coal combustion waste released to surface impoundments in 2006.[16]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ Davis, Mark (2016-05-31). "KCP&L parent agrees to buy Topeka-based Westar Energy". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
- ↑ Vockrodt, Steve (2017-04-19). "Regulators deny proposed $12.2 billion merger of KCP&L and Westar". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
- ↑ Davis, Mark (2018-11-17). "Shareholders vote on KCP&L parent's merger; regulators set timetable for review". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
- ↑ Lefler, Dion (2018-05-24). "Goodbye Westar Energy and KCP&L, hello Evergy; most Kansans to get new power company". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
- ↑ Evergy, Wikipedia, accessed July 3, 2020
- ↑ "Environmental, Community Groups Announce Important Energy Agreement with Major Utility", Sierra Club press release, March 20, 2007.
- ↑ "Stopping the Coal Rush", Sierra Club, accessed January 2008. (This is a Sierra Club list of new coal plant proposals.)
- ↑ "Loss of federal loan fails to derail four other coal-fired power plants," Great Falls Tribune, October 19, 2008.
- ↑ Steve Everly, "Kansas City Power & Light's new coal plant is behind schedule," Kansas City Star, January 13, 2010.
- ↑ "Missouri Governor Dedicates KCP&L's Iatan 2 Power Plant," KCP&L press release, December 7, 2010
- ↑ "Stopping the Coal Rush", Sierra Club, accessed November 2008. (This is a Sierra Club list of new coal plant proposals.)
- ↑ "Stopping the Coal Rush" Sierra Club, accessed November 2011.
- ↑ "Evergy 2021 Integrated Resource Plan Overview," Evergy, April 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
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Sue Sturgis, "Coal's ticking timebomb: Could disaster strike a coal ash dump near you?," Institute for Southern Studies, January 4, 2009.
- ↑ TRI Explorer, EPA, accessed January 2009.
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.
