The 2008 Powder River Basin Coal Users’ Group (PRBCUG) set new records for attendance again this year with more than 400 registered members for the three-and-a-half-day event, 268 of whom were from operating companies. The meeting’s Grand Sponsor was Benetech and its Plant Professionals group.
The meeting began with the Power Plant Awards Banquet on Monday night, prior to the official start of ELECTRIC POWER. More than 200 people enjoyed the evening’s two special events. First was presentation of awards, including the PRBCUG Plant of the Year award (Figure 1) to Luminant’s Big Brown Plant. (An in-depth look at Big Brown begins on page 40.) Awards were followed by an inspiring presentation by astronaut Fred Haise, immortalized by the movie Apollo 13 (Figure 2).
1. Best of class. The PRB Coal Users’ Group 2008 Plant of the Year award went to Luminant’s Big Brown Steam Electric Station for its innovation and the implementation of “best practices and best available technologies.” Accepting the award from Bob Taylor, PRBCUG chairman, were Freeman Jarrell, director of generation, and Allen Riddle, production superintendent. Source: POWER
2. Real rocket man. The featured speaker for the Power Plant Awards Banquet was Fred Haise, lunar module pilot for the ill-fated 1970 Apollo 13 space mission. Haise reviewed, with actual flight footage, the events that caused the mission’s moon landing to be scrubbed and the crew’s eventual safe return to Earth. Source: POWER
Who we are
The PRB Coal Users’ Group is dedicated to providing the power industry with essential information required for the safe and efficient handling and burning of Powder River Basin coals. Education is the essential ingredient of a proactive program that safely and effectively manages PRB coal use, and education is the focus of our annual meetings. Sharing experiences, good and bad, improves the industry’s understanding of the peculiarities of burning PRB coal. Our interactive forum gives members the opportunity to discuss PRB issues with their peers and make new friends whom they can call when the next problem unexpectedly appears at their plant.
Chairman Bob Taylor, manager of environmental safety and health at American Electric Power, opened the meeting with a review of the group’s accomplishments last year. One was the overwhelming success of the PRB Coal 101 webinar. (Click on the “Burning PRB Coal?” icon at the bottom of the POWER website: www.powermag.com. The webinar is free.) Another was the number of members active in subcommittees to develop best practices for handling and burning PRB coals.
At our annual meeting, the main meeting is held on the first day, while breakout sessions on coal handling, safety, fire and risk management, and boiler and combustion are held on days two and three. The morning of day four is reserved for generation company members only to hold an open discussion with PRBCUG board members on any issues of interest.
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