Employees at the 293-MW Muscatine Power & Water plant combine a positive attitude with an aggressive focus on workplace safety, inspired by the motto: “We all can adapt, adopt, and improve to meet the challenges head on to provide our customers with reliable power.” The facility began using Powder River Basin coal in 1993, and the staff have learned effective techniques to use it safely.
Headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa, on the Mississippi River, Muscatine Power & Water (MP&W) provides electricity, water, and communications products and services to a 24-square-mile service area (Figure 1). MP&W is the largest municipally owned utility in the state in terms of generating capacity and revenue. Established in 1922, the MP&W electric utility has a service area of 22,719 residents and 11,204 electric customers. This year, its operational practices made it an award-winner.
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| 1. Energizing Iowa. A nighttime view of the Muscatine Power & Water (MP&W) plant located on the Mississippi River in southeastern Iowa. Established in 1922, MP&W is the largest municipally owned utility in the state in terms of generating capacity and revenue. Courtesy: MP&W |
The Powder River Basin Coal Users’ Group (PRBCUG) conducted its annual meeting in conjunction with the 2011 ELECTRIC POWER Conference & Exhibition in May 2011. Each year the PRBCUG recognizes two PRBCUG Coal Plants of the Year (Large and Small Plant categories) for their innovation and implementation of “best practices and best available technologies.” The Large Coal Plant of the Year award went to Kansas City Power & Light’s Iatan Unit 2, coincidentally the 2011 POWER Plant of the Year (see our August 2011 issue or the archives at http://www.powermag.com). The Small Plant Award went to the MP&W plant (Figure 2).
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| 2. A powerful team. The main reasons for the plant’s success: the employees of Muscatine Power & Water plant. Shown from left to right are Jeff Hedrington, safety manager; Ray Danz, director of power production and supply; Mike Avesing, plant manager; Scott Clester, material handling supervisor; Mark Costello, maintenance supervisor; and Greg Krieser, past chair of the PRBCUG Board of Directors. The photo was taken in May 2011 at the ELECTRIC POWER Awards Banquet. Source: POWER |
Both winning plants each year are inducted into the PRBCUG’s Power Plant Hall of Fame. Selections are made by the board, with input from the group’s members. PRBCUG membership consists of users and prospective users of PRB coals (generating companies or industrial energy consumers). Associate members from companies supplying coal, equipment, or services also participate in the selection process.
In November, Greg Krieser, past chair of the PRBCUG Board of Directors, told POWER why the MP&W plant is viewed as being an industry leader in handling PRB coal. “The story of the City of Muscatine’s MP&W plant embodies the principles of the Powder River Basin Coal Users’ Group,” Kreiser said. “They learned from the experience of others, and they shared their experiences for the benefit of others. Our group wants to thank Mark Costello, the MP&W maintenance supervisor, and his staff for implementing the best practices for safe and efficient use of PRB coal.”
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