Prairie State Energy Campus
Encyclopedia
Prairie State Energy Campus is a 1,600 megawatt base load, coal
fired, electrical power station
and coal mine
under construction near Marissa, Illinois
southeast of St. Louis, Missouri
. Prairie State Energy Campus (PSEC) will feature low levels of regulated emissions compared to other coal fired power stations, capturing sulfur from high-sulfur coal mined nearby instead of transporting low-sulfur coal from elsewhere. Proposed and led by Peabody Energy Corporation
, the project is jointly owned by eight public electric utilities with Peabody retaining 5% ownership, and is being operated by Prairie State Generating Company, LLC. The first 800 MW generator is scheduled to go on line in fourth quarter, 2011 and the second in third quarter, 2012. The project's Lively Grove
underground mine is expected to produce 6 million tons of high sulfur coal per year.
PSEC stated it will be "among the cleanest major coal-fueled plants in the nation" through use of clean coal
technology, producing as low as one-fifth the levels of regulated pollutants as typical U.S. coal-fired plants. Noting that projected emissions nevertheless include 25,000 tons of soot and smog-forming pollutants yearly, the Sierra Club
and other organizations unsuccessfully sued to stop the EPA
granting an air permit
.
According to the Chicago Tribune, PSEC will be the "largest source of carbon dioxide built in the United States in a quarter-century." The company projects a 15% reduction in carbon dioxide pollution compared with other coal fired power plants based on its use of efficient supercritical steam generators and no emissions from transporting coal. Judging that regulatory limits on carbon emissions are not likely in the near future, Peabody chose not to employ a more expensive integrated gasification combined cycle
design that could more easily be retrofitted with carbon capture
technology.
PSEC's original $2 billion estimated cost attracted municipal electric utilities to invest and to sign 28 year contracts. However as of early 2010 the estimated cost had increased to $4.4 billion, requiring investors to borrow more money and raising the projected cost of electricity to undesirable levels. Peabody in response has promised to cap construction costs at "approximately $4 billion" excluding some costs such as coal development and transmission lines.
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
fired, electrical power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
and coal mine
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
under construction near Marissa, Illinois
Marissa, Illinois
Marissa is a village in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,141 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Marissa is located at ....
southeast of St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. Prairie State Energy Campus (PSEC) will feature low levels of regulated emissions compared to other coal fired power stations, capturing sulfur from high-sulfur coal mined nearby instead of transporting low-sulfur coal from elsewhere. Proposed and led by Peabody Energy Corporation
Peabody Energy
Peabody Energy Corporation , previously Peabody Coal Company, is the largest private-sector coal company in the world. The company is headquartered in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri....
, the project is jointly owned by eight public electric utilities with Peabody retaining 5% ownership, and is being operated by Prairie State Generating Company, LLC. The first 800 MW generator is scheduled to go on line in fourth quarter, 2011 and the second in third quarter, 2012. The project's Lively Grove
Lively Grove, Illinois
Lively Grove is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Illinois, United States. Lively Grove is located on Illinois Route 153 northwest of Oakdale. Lively Grove is approximately from Elkton....
underground mine is expected to produce 6 million tons of high sulfur coal per year.
PSEC stated it will be "among the cleanest major coal-fueled plants in the nation" through use of clean coal
Clean coal
Historically used to refer to technologies for reducing emissions of ash, sulfur, and heavy metals from coal combustion; the term is now commonly used to refer to carbon capture and storage technology...
technology, producing as low as one-fifth the levels of regulated pollutants as typical U.S. coal-fired plants. Noting that projected emissions nevertheless include 25,000 tons of soot and smog-forming pollutants yearly, the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
and other organizations unsuccessfully sued to stop the EPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
granting an air permit
Clean Air Act (United States)
The Clean Air Act is a United States federal law enacted by Congress, and signed by President Richard Nixon on December 31, 1970 to control air pollution on a national level. It requires the Environmental Protection Agency to develop and enforce regulations to protect the general public from...
.
According to the Chicago Tribune, PSEC will be the "largest source of carbon dioxide built in the United States in a quarter-century." The company projects a 15% reduction in carbon dioxide pollution compared with other coal fired power plants based on its use of efficient supercritical steam generators and no emissions from transporting coal. Judging that regulatory limits on carbon emissions are not likely in the near future, Peabody chose not to employ a more expensive integrated gasification combined cycle
Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle
An integrated gasification combined cycle is a technology that turns coal into gas—synthesis gas . It then removes impurities from the coal gas before it is combusted and attempts to turn any pollutants into re-usable byproducts. This results in lower emissions of sulfur dioxide, particulates, and...
design that could more easily be retrofitted with carbon capture
Carbon capture and storage
Carbon capture and storage , alternatively referred to as carbon capture and sequestration, is a technology to prevent large quantities of from being released into the atmosphere from the use of fossil fuel in power generation and other industries. It is often regarded as a means of mitigating...
technology.
PSEC's original $2 billion estimated cost attracted municipal electric utilities to invest and to sign 28 year contracts. However as of early 2010 the estimated cost had increased to $4.4 billion, requiring investors to borrow more money and raising the projected cost of electricity to undesirable levels. Peabody in response has promised to cap construction costs at "approximately $4 billion" excluding some costs such as coal development and transmission lines.
External links
- Prairie State Energy Campus company web site
- Prairie State Energy Campus at Sourcewatch