Mecklenburg power station

From Global Energy Monitor
Part of the
Global Coal Plant Tracker,
a Global Energy Monitor project.
Download full dataset
Report an error
Related coal trackers:

Mecklenburg power station is a retired power station in Clarksville, Mecklenburg, Virginia, United States.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Mecklenburg power station Clarksville, Mecklenburg, Virginia, United States 36.599325, -78.530136 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

Loading map...


Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • Unit 1, Unit 2: 36.599325, -78.530136

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year Retired year
Unit 1 retired coal: bituminous 69.9 subcritical 1992 2019
Unit 2 retired coal: bituminous 69.9 subcritical 1992 2019

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner Parent
Unit 1 Virginia Electric and Power Co [100%] Dominion Energy Inc [100.0%]
Unit 2 Virginia Electric and Power Co [100%] Dominion Energy Inc [100.0%]

Retirement

In January 2018, Dominion Energy said it plans to place nine of its older, inefficient and rarely-used power-generating units across Virginia into a dormant status, including Mecklenburg.[1] The coal plant was taken offline in April 2018,[2] and retired in March 2019.[3]

Emissions Data

  • 2006 CO2 Emissions: 914,092 tons
  • 2006 SO2 Emissions:
  • 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
  • 2006 NOx Emissions:
  • 2005 Mercury Emissions:

Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Mecklenburg power 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.[4] 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.[5]

Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Mecklenburg power station

Type of Impact Annual Incidence Valuation
Deaths 5 $39,000,000
Heart attacks 8 $860,000
Asthma attacks 87 $4,000
Hospital admissions 4 $91,000
Chronic bronchitis 3 $1,400,000
Asthma ER visits 5 $2,000

Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011

Citizen groups

Articles and Resources

References

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.