Elrama Power Plant

Elrama Power Plant is a coal-fired power station owned and operated by Reliant Energy (now GenOn Energy) near Elrama, Pennsylvania.

On February 29, 2012, GenOn Energy said it will close seven of its coal generating stations by 2015, citing impending environmental regulations. This included Elrama, with a proposed closure date of June 2012.

Plant Data

 * Owner: Orion Power Holdings Inc.
 * Parent Company: Reliant Energy
 * Plant Nameplate Capacity: 510 MW (Megawatts)
 * Units and In-Service Dates: 100 MW (1952), 100 MW (1953), 125 MW (1954), 185 MW (1960)
 * Location: 30 Duquesne Light Way, Elrama, PA 15038
 * GPS Coordinates: 40.252222, -79.917778
 * Coal Consumption:
 * Coal Source:
 * Number of Employees:

Emissions Data

 * 2006 CO2 Emissions: 2,343,389 tons
 * 2006 SO2 Emissions:
 * 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
 * 2006 NOx Emissions:
 * 2005 Mercury Emissions:

Coal waste
Waste from the Mitchell Power Station and GenOn Energy's Elrama Power Plant is sent to an unlined coal waste dump in La Belle, PA. In December 2010, it was reported that nearby residents said they have seen large loads of fly ash arriving in open barges with nothing covering the coal waste. The disposal site is owned by Matt Canestrale Contracting Inc.

Downwind from the dump site sits Sauerkraut Hill, where residents say there are nine cases of cancer in the 18 houses. The Luzerne Township has elevated mortality levels for diseases that have been linked to pollution exposure, according to a 2010 Post-Gazette ecological study on mortality rates. Luzerne had 170 heart-disease deaths from 2000 through 2008 -- 26 percent higher than the national average, which would project 135 deaths. The Mon Valley is near several coal plants -- including the Mitchell Power Station, Elrama Power Plant and Hatfields Ferry Power Station.

A sample of fly ash that was taken from the La Belle dump site showed the presence of arsenic and several heavy metals, most significantly lead. These represent levels in the actual ash, not amounts found in the air or on neighboring properties.

In response, local resident Gary Kuklish circulated petitions signed by 93 La Belle-area residents that he sent to the state Department of Environmental Protection to seek an investigation and force the owner to clean up the process. DEP officials investigated and ordered the company to dampen roads to reduce coal dust.

In March 2013, attorneys from the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) and Public Justice announced intent to sue Matt Canestrale Contracting, Inc.(MCC), for improper coal ash disposal.

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Existing U.S. Coal Plants
 * Pennsylvania and coal
 * Reliant Energy
 * United States and coal
 * Global warming
 * Coal