Allen S. King Generating Plant
 |
|
This article is part of the Coal Issues portal on SourceWatch, a project of Global Energy Monitor and the Center for Media and Democracy. See here for help on adding material to CoalSwarm. |
Allen S. King Generating Plant is a 598.4-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power station owned and operated by Xcel Energy near Bayport, Minnesota.
Contents
Location
Plant Data
- Owner: Northern States Power Company
- Parent Company: Xcel Energy
- Plant Nameplate Capacity: 598.4 MW (Megawatts)
- Units and In-Service Dates: Unit 1: 598.4 MW (1958)
- Location: 1103 King Plant Rd., Bayport, MN 55003
- GPS Coordinates: 45.030332, -92.778050
- Technology: Supercritical
- Coal type: Sub-bituminous
- Coal Consumption:
- Coal Source: Black Thunder Mine (Arch coal), North Antelope Rochelle Mine (Peabody Coal)[1]
- Number of Employees:
- Unit Retirements: The power plant is scheduled for retirement in 2028.
Unit Retirement
In May 2019, Xcel said it would retire the coal plant in 2028.[2]
Emissions Data
- 2006 CO2 Emissions: 909,828 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions:
- 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
- 2006 NOx Emissions:
- 2005 Mercury Emissions:
The following table gives more info on this plant's SO2 emissions levels, as well as on whatever SO2 emissions "scrubbers" (Flue Gas Desulfurization units, or FGDs) have been installed at the plant. Each of the plant's units is listed separately, and at the bottom overall data for the plant is listed.[3][4]
| Unit # | Year Built | Capacity | MWh Produced (2005) | SO2 Emissions (2005) | SO2 Emissions per MWh (2005) | Average Annual Coal Sulfur Content | FGD Unit Type | FGD In-Service Year | FGD SO2 Removal Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 1958 | 598 MW | 2,796,588 MWh | 23,366 tons | 16.71 lb./MWh | 0.83% | none installed |
Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Allen S. King Generating 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.[5] 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.[6]
Table 1: Death and disease attributable to fine particle pollution from Allen S. King Generating Plant
| Type of Impact | Annual Incidence | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 10 | $69,000,000 |
| Heart attacks | 15 | $1,700,000 |
| Asthma attacks | 160 | $8,000 |
| Hospital admissions | 7 | $160,000 |
| Chronic bronchitis | 6 | $2,700,000 |
| Asthma ER visits | 10 | $4,000 |
Source: "Find Your Risk from Power Plant Pollution," Clean Air Task Force interactive table, accessed February 2011
Articles and Resources
Sources
- ↑ "EIA 923 april 2019" EIA 923 2019.
- ↑ "Xcel's new plan: Coal-free by 2030, nuclear until 2040," MPR News, May 20, 2019
- ↑ Coal Power Plant Database, National Energy Technology Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy, 2007.
- ↑ EIA-767, Energy Information Administration, 2005.
- ↑ "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
- Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, 2005, Energy Information Administration, accessed Jan. 2009.
- Environmental Integrity Project, "Dirty Kilowatts: America’s Most Polluting Power Plants", July 2007.
- Facility Registry System, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, accessed Jan. 2009.
- Carbon Monitoring for Action database, accessed Feb. 2009.
