Edwardsport Generating Station (existing)

Edwardsport Generating Station is a coal-fired power station owned and operated by Duke Energy near Edwardsport, Indiana. It started operation in 1918.

Duke Energy closed the plant in spring 2010, and will begin demolishing the structure by October 2011. Company spokesman Lew Middleton said Duke will turn the site of the old plant in a storage area for burned coal, or slag, produced by Duke's new coal-gasification plant - the Edwardsport Plant - planned for Fall 2012.

Plant Data

 * Owner: PSI Energy Inc.
 * Parent Company: Duke Energy
 * Plant Nameplate Capacity: 109 MW (Megawatts)
 * Units and In-Service Dates: 40 MW (1949), 69 MW (1951)
 * Location: 15400 Villwock Rd., Edwardsport, IN 47528
 * GPS Coordinates: 38.804944, -87.247194
 * Coal Consumption:
 * Coal Source:
 * Number of Employees:

Emissions Data

 * 2006 CO2 Emissions: 362,951 tons
 * 2006 SO2 Emissions:
 * 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
 * 2006 NOx Emissions:
 * 2005 Mercury Emissions:

Coal Waste Sites

 * Edwardsport Generating Station Primary Ash Pond
 * Edwardsport Generating Station Secondary Ash Pond

History
The Indiana Power Co. built the plant to power the trains that once connected the state's communities. But as the internal-combustion engine evolved and automobiles became affordable, the need for such trains greatly diminished and the plant's electricity was diverted to light homes and businesses. The plant was built at Edwardsport because of its proximity to the West Fork of the White River and an abundance of relatively easily mined coal nearby. Eventually, the plant was purchased by Public Service Indiana, which was later sold to Cinergy, which was later bought by Duke Energy.

In the late 1950s new generating units were added to boost the plant's generating capacity to 130 megawatts, but shortly before its closure the plant was used only when it was absolutely necessary due to the high cost of running it and the comparatively small amount of power it produced. In 2007, Duke officials announced that they would shut down the Edwardsport plant within 10 years, regardless of whether the new coal-gasification Edwardsport Plant would be built at the site.

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Edwardsport Plant
 * Existing U.S. Coal Plants
 * Indiana and coal
 * Duke Energy
 * United States and coal
 * Global warming