Owner/operator: American Electric Power
Hard work was required at the 2,600-MW Rockport Plant to make improvements to equipment, materials, and processes. But that hard work has paid off: The plant’s units operate much better, employee safety has improved, the facility is setting generation records with both of its 1,300-MW units, and it earned the PRB Coal Users’ Group Large Plant of the Year honors.
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity and an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty," Winston Churchill once said. With their upbeat, positive attitude, staff at the Rockport Power Plant in southern Indiana have turned many difficult challenges into opportunities for improvement. Therefore, it’s no big surprise that the Rockport Plant (Figure 1) — operated by Indiana Michigan Power, a branch of American Electric Power (AEP) — was recognized as the Large Plant of the Year at the 2009 Powder River Basin Coal Users’ Group (PRBCUG) Awards Banquet.
1. Double duty. Located in Rockport, Ind., the 2,600-MW Rockport Power Plant has one of the tallest stacks in the world (1,038 feet). The two identical 1,300-MW units were commissioned in December 1984 and December 1989. Courtesy: American Electric Power
The annual PRBCUG meeting was held in May in conjunction with the 2009 ELECTRIC POWER Conference and Exhibition in Rosemont, Ill. Each year the PRBCUG recognizes one or two PRB Coal Plants of the Year for their innovation and implementation of "best practices and best available technologies." (See also the small plant profile on p. 36.) These plants are inducted into the Power Plant Hall of Fame. Selections are made by the board, with input from the group’s members.
PRBCUG members include current and prospective users of PRB coals. Associate members from companies supplying coal, equipment, or services also participate in the selection process.
Overcoming Challenges
The Rockport Plant, like many others represented in the PRBCUG, wasn’t designed for PRB coal, explained Bob Taylor, former PRBCUG chairman, who presented the award to Rockport Plant representatives at the banquet.
"A fatality from a dust explosion and numerous other experiences caused them to aggressively learn about the characteristics of PRB coals and implement actions for continuous improvements and proactive approaches to protecting people," he said. "Their journey wasn’t easy nor without pain, and now the PRBCUG celebrates their achievement for their pursuit of protecting people and improvements."
This was the first time Rockport Plant was nominated, Taylor pointed out. However, Rockport Plant employees have participated in the PRBCUG from the group’s inception, applying what they have learned from others.
Taylor shared his opinion about the top reasons that the Rockport Plant was selected a winner:
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The staff is continuously learning and seeking ways to do things better.
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At one time, the Rockport Plant was the worst safety and health performer in the company’s fleet and also had more fires than most. Through the engagement and involvement of all employees, the culture changed to turn the plant into one of the better performers.
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Plant personnel implemented the PRBCUG’s best practices.
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The staff was willing to share with others, including "teachable moments."
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The plant’s boiler performance is excellent. The staff successfully manages a coal-handling facility with over 7 miles of conveyors, 14 or so transfer stations, and more than 10 million tons of coal annually (Figure 2).
2. Full load. The motor vessel Rockport is shown moving a barge full of PRB coal to one of two Hyel Patterson barge unloaders. These are bucket elevator–type unloaders that remove coal from the barges in two passes. Coal is dropped onto a series of conveyers that move the coal from the river to the plant. Courtesy: American Electric Power
The Rockport Plant was built as a sister plant to several others that were designed to burn bituminous coal. However, before start-up, the decision was made to burn lower-cost PRB coal, even though few in the company had any experience with this lower-sulfur but harder-to-handle coal. Taylor noted that "The staff at the Rockport Plant had to learn about the characteristics of PRB coal and how to operate accordingly and to do so with a relatively small percentage of experienced personnel. In effect, they had to manage a coal conversion project while operating a new plant."
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