Eastern Illinois University Plant

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The Eastern Illinois University Power Plant is a coal-fired plant built in 1925. In 2009 the University submitted permits for a new biomass facility to replace the coal plant, including possible wind turbines. The new plant will be a “biomass gasifier” that will fill University heating and cooling needs by burning nontreated wood chips obtained as lumber industry by-products. The proposal is the largest project in campus history in terms of the dollar amount.

Under the umbrella of an $80 million performance contract, construction of a new energy facility began in 2009. Known as Eastern’s Renewable Energy Center, it houses four boilers: two boilers burn biomass and two burn natural gas with a fuel oil backup. EIU’s campus energy needs can be met by running any two of the four boilers. Eastern’s old steam plant burned its last coal on Dec. 14, 2010, and the new facility opened on Oct. 7, 2011.

Articles and Resources

Related SourceWatch Articles

• Campus coal plants
• Existing U.S. Coal Plants
• Coal plant conversion projects
• Wisconsin and coal
• United States and coal
• Global warming

External Articles

• 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.

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