Bruce Mansfield Power Plant

Construction of Bruce Mansfield commenced in 1970. The plant was operated by Pennsylvania Power (a subsidiary of Ohio Edison). Its ownership was a consortium of Pennsylvania Power, Ohio Edison, Cleveland Electric Illuminating, Toledo Edison, and Duquesne Light to form the Central Area Power Coordination (CAPCO).{{cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/new-castle-news-oct-20-1976-p-3/ |url-access=registration |title=Huge coal-fired Shippingport plant officially dedicated to Mansfield|newspaper=New Castle News|date=October 20, 1976|page=3|via=Newspaper Archive |access-date=April 4, 2018}} Bruce Mansfield began commercial operations of Unit 1 in 1976 with Units 2 and 3 following suit in 1977 and 1980 respectively. All three of the units generated 830 MW each with a nameplate capacity of 2490 MW.{{cite web|url=https://www.firstenergycorp.com/content/dam/corporate/generationmap/files/Bruce%20Mansfield%20Plant%20Facts.pdf|title=Bruce Mansfield Plant Facts|publisher=FirstEnergy|date=August 2016|access-date=February 5, 2019}} The plant was named after D. Bruce Mansfield, a former chairman of Pennsylvania Power. Murray Energy was the primary supplier of coal for Bruce Mansfield. The coal was shipped from West Virginia.{{cite news|url=https://platform.mi.spglobal.com/web/client?auth=inherit#news/article?id=46227872&cdid=A-46227872-11054|title=FirstEnergy Solutions to shut down 4,000 MW of coal capacity|last=Sweeney|first=Darren|publisher=S&P Global Market Intelligence|date=August 29, 2018|access-date=August 29, 2018}}

FirstEnergy Solutions announced in August 2018 that they were closing Bruce Mansfield by June 2021. FirstEnergy Solutions blamed the wholesale market system, which PJM Interconnection operates on, for not relying on coal and nuclear plants.{{cite news|url=https://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2018/08/firstenergy_solutions_closing.html|title=FirstEnergy Solutions closing its last Ohio and Pennsylvania coal-fired power plants|last=Funk|first=John|newspaper=The Plain Dealer|date=August 29, 2018|access-date=August 29, 2018}} PJM Interconnection conducted an analysis and concluded the plant's closure would not affect grid reliability.{{cite news|url=http://www.ellwoodcityledger.com/news/20181003/study-bruce-mansfield-closure-wont-affect-electric-grid-reliability|title=Study: Bruce Mansfield closure won't affect electric grid reliability|last=Stonesifer|first=Jared|newspaper=Ellwood City Ledger|date=October 4, 2018|access-date=October 4, 2018}} The closure was moved back to November 2019 due to, "a lack of economic viability."{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-09/firstenergy-solutions-to-shut-coal-fired-plant-19-months-early|title=Coal Unit at Center of Trump Bailout Bid to Shut 19 Months Early|last=Wade|first=Will|publisher=Bloomberg|date=August 9, 2019|access-date=August 9, 2019}}

Units 1 and 2 were installed with a flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) system to prevent sulfur dioxide ({{SO2}}) from being emitted into the atmosphere.{{cite journal|title=A History Of Flue Gas Desulfurization Systems Since 1850|journal = Journal of the Air Pollution Control Association|volume=27|number=10|date=October 1977|page=957|doi=10.1080/00022470.1977.10470518}} Its chimney is {{convert|950|ft|m}} tall. The sludge was then transported {{convert|7|mi|km}} by pipe to Little Blue Run Lake between Beaver County, Pennsylvania and Hancock County, West Virginia. When Unit 3 was constructed in 1980, an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) system, designed by the Weir Group, was installed instead for the unit to curb particulate emissions.{{cite journal|title=Technical Aspects of Lime/Limestone Scrubbers for Coal-Fired Power Plants|journal = Journal of the Air Pollution Control Association|last1=Karlsson|first=Hans T.|last2=Rosenberg|first2=Harvey S.|volume=30|number=7|date=July 1980|page=823|doi=10.1080/00022470.1980.10465116|doi-access=free}} Its chimney is {{convert|600|ft|m}} tall. To reduce waste disposal from scrubbers at Bruce Mansfield, National Gypsum constructed a nearby plant in 1998 to process synthetic gypsum from the plant to produce drywall.{{cite news|url=http://old.post-gazette.com/businessnews/19980309bgypsum1.asp|title=National Gypsum will turn sludge from power plant into wallboard|last1=McKay|first1=Jim|last2=Zapinski|first2=Ken|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=March 9, 1998|access-date=February 11, 2018}} To deliver the gypsum for the nearby manufacturer, a forced-oxidation gypsum (FOG) system was built.{{cite news|url=http://www.powermag.com/focus-on-om-september-2006/|title=Focus on O&M (September 2006)|publisher=POWER|date=September 15, 2006|access-date=April 6, 2018}} A $200 million dewatering facility was completed in 2016 in response to a 2012 settlement that prohibits the further disposal of byproduct at Little Blue Run Lake. The facility would separate byproduct from water and then be properly disposed of in a lined impoundment at Murray Energy's mine in Marshall County, West Virginia.{{cite news|url=https://www.heraldstandard.com/news/business/new-facility-at-bruce-mansfield-power-plant-to-process-coal/article_b3c4acab-9d9d-5e61-becf-bfb93ffb2977.html|title=New facility at Bruce Mansfield power plant to process coal byproduct|last=Taube|first=David|newspaper=Herald-Standard|date=November 8, 2015|access-date=February 10, 2018}}{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/powersource/companies/2016/12/01/Bruce-Mansfield-coal-ash-headed-to-West-Virginia/stories/201612010084|title=Bruce Mansfield coal ash headed to West Virginia|last=Litvak|first=Anya|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=December 1, 2016|access-date=February 10, 2018}} The dewatering facility began operations in January 2017, but problems at the new facility forced the plant to go offline the following month.{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/powersource/companies/2017/02/16/Waste-disposal-problems-halt-operations-at-FirstEnergy-s-Beaver-County-coal-power-plant/stories/201702150041|title=Waste disposal problems halt operations at FirstEnergy's Beaver County plant|last=Moore|first=Daniel|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=February 16, 2017|access-date=February 10, 2018}} The plant restarted two weeks later.{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.com/6efbcdda-fadc-11e6-bcc6-671c3ba85016.html|title=Two units at Bruce Mansfield coal plant to restart early next week|last=Stonesifer|first=Jared|newspaper=The Times|date=February 24, 2017|access-date=February 10, 2018}}

A release of hydrogen sulfide ({{H2S}}) during repair work on a pipe killed two and injured four workers in August 2017.{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/local/west/2017/08/30/workers-dead-injured-bruce-mansfield-coal-power-plant-shippingport-beaver-county-pennsylvania/stories/201708300127|title=Gas kills two workers, injures four at Beaver County power plant|last=Kane|first=Karen|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=August 30, 2017|access-date=February 10, 2018}} The workers' families who experienced casualties in the accident filed lawsuits against FirstEnergy in November 2017 seeking damages.{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/powersource/companies/2017/11/17/FirstEnergy-Bruce-Mansfield-coal-plant-workers-killed-wrongful-death-lawsuit-beaver-county/stories/201711170194|title=Injured workers, widows sue FirstEnergy over fatal power plant incident|last=Moore|first=Daniel|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=November 17, 2017|access-date=February 10, 2018}} Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined FirstEnergy $77,605 for workplace hazards and also fined subcontractor Enerfab $129,340 for failing to provide "appropriate respiratory protection".{{cite news|url=https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2018/03/06/fatal-gas-leak-at-pittsburgh-area-power-plant-draws-osha-fines/|title=Fatal gas leak at Pittsburgh-area power plant draws OSHA fines|last=Frazier|first=Reid|publisher=StateImpact Pennsylvania|date=March 6, 2018|access-date=March 6, 2018}} FirstEnergy ultimately settled by paying a fine of $65,963.{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.com/news/20180824/firstenergy-agrees-to-pay-fines-stemming-from-fatal-accident-at-bruce-mansfield|title=FirstEnergy agrees to pay fines stemming from fatal accident at Bruce Mansfield|last=Stonesifer|first=Jared|newspaper=The Times|date=August 24, 2018|access-date=August 24, 2018}}

On January 10, 2018, Bruce Mansfield caught on fire causing damage to its roof and duct work.{{cite news|url=http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018/01/10/fire-bruce-mansfield-power-plant/|title=Ductwork Fire Proves To Be Challenging For Crews At Bruce Mansfield Plant|last=Washington|first=Lisa|publisher=CBS Pittsburgh|date=January 10, 2018|access-date=February 10, 2018}} In a filing later that month, FirstEnergy revealed that the fire caused significant damage to the equipment for Units 1 and 2.{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.com/news/20180122/bruce-mansfield-fire-may-have-caused-significant-damage-to-plant|title=Bruce Mansfield fire may have caused "significant" damage to plant|last=Stonesifer|first=Jared|newspaper=The Times|date=January 22, 2018|access-date=February 10, 2018}} The damage was severe enough that deactivation of both units were accelerated from June 2021 to February 5, 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.ibew29.org/first-energy/first-energy-restructuring-update-0|title=First Energy Restructuring Update|publisher=IBEW Local 29 Pittsburgh, PA|date=November 8, 2018|access-date=November 12, 2018}}

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• List of largest power stations in the United States
• List of power stations in Pennsylvania

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Bruce Mansfield Power Plant}}

• [https://www.firstenergycorp.com/content/dam/corporate/generationmap/files/Bruce%20Mansfield%20Plant%20Facts.pdf Bruce Mansfield Plant - First Energy Generation]

Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1976

Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1977

Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1980

Category:FirstEnergy

Category:Former coal-fired power stations in the United States

Category:Buildings and structures in Beaver County, Pennsylvania

Category:1976 establishments in Pennsylvania

Category:2019 disestablishments in Pennsylvania

Category:Former power stations in Pennsylvania