Plant Scherer

Plant Scherer
Official name Robert W. Scherer Electric Generating Plant
Country United States
Location Monroe County, near Juliette, Georgia
Commission date 1982
Owner(s) (see article)
Operator(s) Georgia Power
Thermal power station
Primary fuel Coal
Power generation
Units operational 4 × 880 MW
Capacity factor 61.2%

The Robert W Scherer Power Plant (also known as Plant Scherer) is a coal-fired power plant in Juliette, Georgia, just north of Macon, Georgia, in the United States. The plant has four units, each producing 880 megawatts. The plant is named after the former chairman and chief executive officer of Georgia Power.[1] It has two 1,001-foot (305 m) chimneys, the first built in 1982 and the second in 1986. Plant Scherer is the seventh largest electric generating plant in the United States,[2] and is the #1 emitter of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S., at over 20 million tons per year.[3]

The plant's location is along the flight path of many commercial airline flights originating from or terminating at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta, and is a prominent feature on the landscape, easily visible during daylight flights.

Operator and ownership

The plant is operated by Georgia Power, a subsidiary of the Southern Company. The plant is jointly owned by Georgia Power and sister company Gulf Power,[4] along with Oglethorpe Power Corporation, the city of Dalton, Georgia; NextEra Energy (through subsidiary Florida Power & Light); JEA of Jacksonville, Florida; and the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia.[5]

Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4
OPC 60.0% 60.0% — —
Georgia Power   8.4%   8.4% 75.0% —
FPL — — — 76.4%
MEAG 30.2% 30.2% — —
Gulf Power — — 25.0% —
JEA — — — 23.6%
City of Dalton   1.4%   1.4% — —

Coal trains

The coal used at the Scherer plant comes from Wyoming's Powder River Basin, and is delivered by Norfolk Southern to the plant by BNSF unit trains of up to 135 cars. Currently, at least two and as many as five trains a day are unloaded at Plant Scherer. The trains use an air-dump system and are unloaded from the bottom of the cars while passing over the unloading trestle. They do not stop while unloading, and are usually unloaded in around 90 minutes.

Emissions

As of August 2012, Plant Scherer is under Georgia EPD investigation for coal ash pond leeching / drinking water contamination and air pollution / air quality. According to Natural History magazine, as of 2006 Plant Scherer is the largest single point-source for carbon dioxide emissions in the United States.[6] It was also ranked the 20th in the world in terms of carbon dioxide emissions by the Center for Global Development on its list of global power plants in November 2007. It was the only power plant in the United States that was listed in the world's top 25 Carbon Dioxide producers.[7]

Regulatory Policies and Institutions

Since 2009 Lisa Jackson, Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed controversial rules and regulations which include the Utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology rule and the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule.[8] Under CSAPR, non-complying plants like Scherer had only less than six months to implement required changes.

In 2011 Southern Company awarded KBR the contract for the installation of Plant Scherer's environmental compliance equipment, which included installation of flue gas desulfurization and selective catalytic reduction equipment, related ductwork, and auxiliaries at two coal-fired units.[9]

As of 2010, KBR, Haliburton and other contractors constructed an additional 847-foot (258 m) high smoke stack.

Notes

    See also

    References

    1. ↑ Robert W Scherer Power Plant (PDF) (Report). Georgia: Georgia Power. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
    2. ↑ Largest Utility Plants by Net Generation (2014 data) (Report). U.S. Energy Information Administration. 2015.
    3. ↑ Source: EPA
    4. ↑ Highest CO2 Emitting Power Plants in the World (Report). Washington, DC: Carbon Monitoring for Action (CARMA). Retrieved April 2013. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
    5. ↑ "Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG) Power Generation Facilities". Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG). Retrieved 12 April 2013.
    6. ↑ "Feature". Natural History. 2012.
    7. ↑ MacDonald, Lawrence (14 November 2007). "Center for Global Development CGD ranks CO2 emissions from power plants worldwide". Retrieved 12 April 2013.
    8. ↑ Westmoreland (Republican Member of Congress), Lynn (27 September 2011). "The EPA puts the screws to power plants". The Citizen.
    9. ↑ "KBR to Execute Equipment Installation at One of the Nation's Largest Power Generating Stations". Houston, Texas: KBR. 15 August 2011.

    Coordinates: 33°03′45″N 83°48′14″W / 33.062593°N 83.803883°W / 33.062593; -83.803883

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