Kingston Fossil Plant
{{short description|Coal-fired power plant in Tennessee, United States}}
{{Infobox power station
| name = Kingston Fossil Plant
| image = Kingston-fossil-plant-tn4.jpg
| image_caption = Kingston Fossil Plant
| country = United States
| location = Harriman, Tennessee
| coordinates = {{coord|35|53|54|N|84|31|08|W|region:US-TN_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| owner = Tennessee Valley Authority
| operator = Tennessee Valley Authority
| status = O
| th_fuel_primary = Coal
| ps_cooling_source = Watts Bar Lake
| ps_combined_cycle =
| ps_units_operational = 9
| ps_electrical_capacity = 1,398 MW
| commissioned = Unit 1: February 8, 1954{{harvp|Tennessee Valley Authority|1965|p=267}}
| cost = {{US$|198200000|1955|round=-6}}
}}
Kingston Fossil Plant, commonly known as Kingston Steam Plant, is a 1.4-gigawatt (1,398 MW) coal-fired power plant located in Roane County, just outside Kingston, Tennessee, on the shore of Watts Bar Lake. It is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The plant is known for the Kingston Fossil Plant fly ash spill which occurred in December 2008.
History
Construction of the Kingston Fossil Plant began on April 30, 1951.{{cite news|last=Pittman|first=Bart|title=Work On TVA's Kingston Steam Plant To Be Completed Next Year|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57886527/work-on-tvas-kingston-steam-plant-to/|page=57|work=The Knoxville Journal|access-date=2020-08-23|via=Newspapers.com}} It was the largest coal-fired power plant in the world when completed in 1955.{{cite web|url=http://www.tva.gov/sites/kingston.htm|title=TVA's Kingston Fossil Plant page|access-date=December 23, 2008}} It was built primarily to provide electricity for the nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory.{{cite report |ref={{harvid|Tennessee Valley Authority|1965}} |author=Office of Engineering Design and Construction|date=1965|title=The Kingston Steam Plant: A Report on the Planning, Design, Construction, Costs, and First Power Operations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bVzVAAAAMAAJ|publisher=Tennessee Valley Authority|pages=1–12|docket=Tennessee Valley Authority Technical Report no. 34|access-date=2020-08-23|via=Google Books}} A dedication ceremony for the plant took place on November 17, 1955.{{cite news|date=November 17, 1955|title=Kingston Steam Plant Finish Celebrated|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57885823/kingston-steam-plant-finish-celebrated/|page=18|work=Knoxville News Sentinel|agency=Associated Press|access-date=2020-08-23|via=Newspapers.com}}
The plant has nine generating units: Units 1–4, rated at 175 MW each (launched into service in 1954), and Units 5–9, rated at 200 MW each (launched in 1955).{{cite web| title = Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, 2006| publisher = Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy| year = 2006| url = http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/capacity/capacity.html| format = Excel| access-date = 2008-07-14}} Combined, the plant has a total capacity of 1,700 MWe (1,398 MWe net). It produces about ten billion kilowatt hours of electricity from some five million tons of coal each year. All nine generating units are equipped with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems to reduce nitrogen oxide ({{NOx}}) emissions that contribute to the formation of ozone.Donald Borio and Robert Babb, [http://icac.com/Files/Borio.pdf Technical and Economic Considerations in Hot or Cold Placement of SCR Systems for Utility Boilers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061016170520/http://www.icac.com/Files/Borio.pdf |date=2006-10-16 }}, ICAC Forum '02 In 1976, its original nine stacks were taken out of service (though left standing) and replaced by a pair of 1,000-foot (304.8 meter) tall chimneys, one for Units 1–5 and one for Units 6–9.{{cite web|url=http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b5014|title=Kingston Power Plant entry at skyscraperpage.com}} These stacks were replaced with a single stack connected to scrubbers which were installed in 2007.
The plant is a popular site for birdwatchers, as many waterfowl come to the settling and treatment ponds nearby.Charles P. Nicholson and Ron Hoff, [http://www.tnbirds.org/birdfinding/KingstonSteamPlant.htm Birding at Kingston Steam Plant], Tennessee Ornithological Society, September 2006
2008 spill
{{main|Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill}}
In December 2008, an impoundment at the plant failed, releasing {{convert|1.1|e9USgal|m3}} of coal fly ash slurry that covered up to {{convert|300|acre|km2}} of the surrounding land, damaging homes and flowing into nearby waterways such as the Emory River and Clinch River, tributaries of the Tennessee River. This was the largest accidental release of coal fly ash in the United States.
EPA compliance agreement
On April 14, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with the Tennessee Valley Authority to resolve alleged Clean Air Act violations at 11 of its coal-fired plants in Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee.[http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/caa/tvacoal-fired.html Tennessee Valley Authority Clean Air Act Settlement] Under the terms of the agreement, Units 1–9 will continuously operate SCR systems to reduce their emissions of {{NOx}}.[http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/agreements/caa/tva-ffca.pdf Federal Facilities Compliance Agreement Between EPA and TVA]
See also
{{Portal|United States|Energy}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.tva.gov/Energy/Our-Power-System/Coal/Kingston-Fossil-Plant TVA's Kingston Fossil Plant page]
- [http://www.knoxnews.com/news/business/tva-pond-breach-roane-county/ News coverage of the breach of a pond dam at the coal plant on Dec. 22, 2008], Knoxville News Sentinel
{{Tennessee Valley Authority Facilities}}
{{supertall chimneys}}
Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1954
Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1955
Category:Towers completed in 1976
Category:Coal-fired power stations in Tennessee
Category:Buildings and structures in Roane County, Tennessee
Category:Tennessee Valley Authority