Did You Know

World’s Largest Waste-Coal Power Plant Dedicated; Signals New Era in Competitive Power Benefits

Reliant Energy Inc.’s new $800-million waste-coal power station, known as the Seward Power Plant, was dedicated Sept. 30, 2004, and it initiated a new era of environmental and economic benefits from merchant generation that competes in regional wholesale power markets. The Seward plant demonstrates firsthand how investments by competitive generators in new power generation technology help stimulate the economy and improve the environment.

Voted by Power magazine as the “2004 Plant of the Year,” the Seward plant uses coal refuse piles and unused low-grade coal as fuel. Originally built as a first-generation coal-fueled power plant in 1921, about 80 miles east of Pittsburgh near Johnstown, Pa., the original Seward plant was retired in 2003. The new, 521-megawatt facility on the same site has adopted the same name and is now the largest waste-coal power plant in the world. It is the only merchant plant of its kind in the United States, joining a roster of competitive power plants throughout the country that employ a variety of sources for generation – ranging from natural gas, coal and nuclear to renewable sources such as wind, waste, biomass and hydro.

The Seward plant will compete in the regional power market administered by the PJM Interconnection, now the nation’s largest regional transmission organization with the recent additions of the American Electric Power and Dayton Power & Light utility systems. It is expected to provide enough electricity to power more than 400,000 homes in Pennsylvania. It will use a by-product of coal mining called “gob” or “waste coal,” which has accumulated over the decades at abandoned coal mine sites throughout the state.

Disposal of waste coal has been a long-term challenge in Pennsylvania because it can leech into nearby rivers and streams and cause significant pollution problems. It damages the landscape with the unsightly refuse piles that often cover many acres and are several stories high. Therefore, the Seward plant helps solve an important environmental problem.

In dedicating the plant, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said, “This is the type of government-business partnership that has been successful in bringing jobs and environmental benefits to the Commonwealth. We commend Reliant for its leadership in developing this project, which brings a reliable, low-cost supply of electric power to generations of Pennsylvanians.”

For more information, contact EPSA’s Daniel Dolan at ddolan@epsa.org.