COAL POWER Direct

Gov. Matthew Mead is taking an active role in developing an integrated test center to be constructed at a coal-fired power plant in Wyoming to research commercial uses for carbon. As the top coal-producing state in the U.S.—producing more than three times the amount of coal as second-place West Virginia in the first half of […]

On June 30, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) issued its “Quarterly Coal Report” covering the first quarter of 2014. The report includes data on coal production, exports, imports, receipts, prices, consumption, quality, stocks, and refined coal. U.S. coke production, consumption, stocks, imports, and exports are also provided in the EIA report. Of particular note […]

Conducting conveyor inspections and maintenance can pose significant risks to employees, as these activities bring workers into close proximity with the conveyor system under potentially dangerous conditions. Staff members are exposed to moving belts, rolling components, and pinch points, all in an environment that is commonly dirty, distracting, and sometimes noisy. As plants struggle with […]

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In late January, Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz requested a study of existing U.S. coal-fired power plants to assess options for enhancing capacity, efficiency, and emissions profiles of the present generation fleet. On May 14, the National Coal Council (NCC), an advisory group that provides recommendations to the Secretary of Energy on policy matters relating […]

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Many coal-fired power plants in operation today do not have a fire-extinguishing medium installed in their coal storage silos. CO2 injection would generally be the preferred method, and is used in many plants, but what do you do when your plant was left without this option after construction? Wet or just plain “hot” coal making […]

[Update May 13] A serious fire at the Martin Drake Power Plant in downtown Colorado Springs will leave the facility offline for an indefinite period of time. The fire began at approximately 9:40 a.m. on May 5. The first firefighters arrived on the scene within five minutes and faced a difficult decision on how to […]

During the Powder River Basin Coal Users’ Group (PRBCUG) annual conference held Mar. 31–Apr. 3, 2014, in conjunction with the ELECTRIC POWER Conference & Exhibition, Springerville Generating Station was recognized as the PRBCUG Plant of the Year. The 1,600-MW Springerville facility includes four units of roughly equal size. Units 1 and 2 are owned by […]

Dealing with combustible dust and controlling fuel spillage are struggles faced by almost all coal-fired power plants. During the ELECTRIC POWER Conference & Exhibition held Apr. 1–3, 2014, in New Orleans, La., several breakout sessions covered best practices being utilized at some facilities to overcome these challenges. In one session, David Thomas, fuel systems manager […]