Mississippi and coal

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Introduction

Mississippi coal mines produced 3.8 million tons of coal in 2006 (0.3% of the U.S. total); Mississippi ranks 19th out of the 50 states in terms of coal production.[1].[2]

Mississippi had 9 coal-fired generating stations in 2005, with 2,696 MW of capacity, representing 14.5% of the state's total electric generating capacity; Mississippi ranks 34th out of 50 states in terms of coal-fired generating capacity.[3] In 2006, Mississippi's coal-fired power plants produced 22.2 million tons of CO2, 75,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, and 34,000 tons of nitrogen oxide; coal-fired power plants were responsible for 35.7% of the state's total CO2 emissions.[4].[5]

History

The coal power industry is relatively weak in Mississippi, where power production is dominated by natural gas (77% of the state's electric generating capacity in 2005).[3]

Legislative issues

Citizen activism

Proposed coal plants

Active

Cancelled

Coal lobbying groups

Coal power companies

Existing coal plants

Mississippi had 9 coal-fired generating units at five locations in 2005, with 2,696 MW of capacity - representing 14.5% of the state's total electric generating capacity.[6][7]

Click on the locations shown on the Mississippi map for plant details:

Here is a list of coal power plants in Mississippi with capacity over 400 MW:[6][8][9]

Plant Name County Owner Year(s) Built Capacity 2007 CO2 Emissions 2006 SO2 Emissions SO2/MW Rank
Victor J. Daniel Jackson Southern Company 1977, 1981 1000 MW 9,094,000 tons 31,767 tons 159
Jack Watson Harrison Southern Company 1968, 1973 750 MW 5,075,000 tons 29,113 tons 71
Red Hills Choctaw GDF SUEZ 2001 514 MW 4,874,000 tons 2,149 tons 250
R.D. Morrow Lamar South Mississippi Electric Power Association 1978 400 MW 3,168,000 tons 12,465 tons 95

These 4 plants represent 98.8% of Mississippi's coal energy generating capacity, 35.7% of the state's total CO2 emissions, and 31.6% of its total SO2 emissions.[5]

For a map of existing coal plants in the state, see the bottom of this page.

Coal ash in Mississippi

According to a 2007 risk assessment report released by the EPA, Mississippi has one coal ash pond at the Jack Watson Generating Plant operated by Southern Company. The Jack Watson coal ash pond was commissioned in 1968 and expanded in 1974 and again in 1999. Additionally, Mississippi has at least four landfills that store coal ash. The EPA has not yet gathered information on coal ash disposal in landfills, so a detailed breakdown is not yet available. According to the risk assessment, the Jack Watson plant is unlined, and the Victor J. Daniel plant (a landfill) has only a clay liner. Neither site has groundwater monitoring.

Mississippi generated 1.75 million tons of coal ash per year, ranking 24th in the nation for coal ash generation. [10]

Major coal mines

There are no major coal mines in Mississippi.[11] As of 2010 there was approximately 1 active coal mines in Mississippi with production of approximately 4,004 short tons per year.[12]

Citizen groups

Resources

References

  1. ↑ Coal Production and Number of Mines by State and Mine Type, Energy Information Administration, accessed June 2008. Mississippi employed 178 coal miners in 2006, none of whom were unionized
  2. ↑ Average Number of Employees by State and Mine Type, Energy Information Administration, accessed June 2008.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, 2005, Energy Information Administration, accessed April 2008.
  4. ↑ Estimated Emissions for U.S. Electric Power Industry by State, 1990-2006, Energy Information Administration, 2007. In 2005, Mississippi emitted 21.3 tons of CO2 per person, slightly higher than the U.S. average
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Mississippi Energy Consumption Information, eRedux website, accessed June 2008.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Environmental Integrity Project, "Dirty Kilowatts: America’s Most Polluting Power Plants", July 2007.
  7. ↑ Dig Deeper, Carbon Monitoring for Action database, accessed June 2008.
  8. ↑ Environmental Integrity Project, "Dirty Kilowatts: America’s Most Polluting Power Plants", July 2007.
  9. ↑ Dig Deeper, Carbon Monitoring for Action database, accessed June 2008.
  10. ↑ Coal Ash Factsheet” Earthjustice, accessed November 28, 2011.
  11. ↑ Major U.S. Coal Mines, Energy Information Administration, accessed June 2008.
  12. ↑ "Coal Production and Number of Mines by State, County, and Mine Type, 2010" U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 2010.

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External links

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