Gibson Generating Station

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The Gibson Generating Station is a coal-burning power plant located in Gibson County, Indiana, United States. It is close to the Wabash River, just opposite Mount Carmel, Illinois. With an 2003 aggregate capacity among its five units of 3,145 megawatts, it is the largest power plant run by Duke Energy,^[1] third-largest coal power plant in the world, and the ninth-largest electrical plant in the United States.^[2]. Also on the grounds of the facility is a 3,000 acres (12 km²) large man-made lake called Gibson Lake which is used as a cooling pond for the plant. Neighboring the plant is a Duke-owned, publicly-accessible access point to the Wabash River near a small island that acts as a wildlife preserve. This is the nearest boat-ramp to Mount Carmel on the Indiana side of the river. Located immediately south of Gibson Lake, the plant's cooling pond, is the Cane Ridge NWR, the newest unit of the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area. Opened in August 2006, this 26 acre area serves as a nesting ground for the Least Tern, a rare bird. Cane Ridge NWR is reportedly the eastermost nesting ground for the bird in the U.S.

[edit] Statistics for Gibson Generating Station

[edit] History

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Gibson Generating Station was originally built as a two-unit coal-fired power plant in 1972 by Public Service Indiana (PSI). The 80's saw the addition of Units 3, 4, and 5, but only two more stacks. In the 90's, number 4 was separated from number 3's stack and each was given their own stack.

Cinergy took over PSI in 1995. During this time, all five units were fitted with new SCR Units, mounted on the back of each unit. During this construction one of the largest cranes in the world was erected at GGS.

Duke Energy took over Cinergy in May, 2006.

[edit] Recent additions

Work was just recently completed on the plant's two new 620 ft (190 m) Smokestacks. The wider two-flue stack is for Units 1 & 2 with a flue for each unit, while the narrower stack is for Unit 3. Unit 4's and Unit 5's Smokestacks both usually put out a full plume as well.

The power plant is often still referred to by locals as PSI, in reference to its original owner, Public Service Indiana, even when it was owned by Cinergy. The plant's two new 620 ft (190 m) smokestacks are seen in the back, behind its four original 550 ft (170 m) stacks. Units 1-4 are shown.

Several projects are being constructed to increase the capacity to as much as 3,340MW and a series of Select Catalytic Reduction (SCR) units have been installed to decrease its NOx emissions.

[edit] Earthquake Effects

Main article: 2008 Illinois earthquake

At 4:37:00am CDT (9:37:00 UTC) on April 18 an 5.2 Richter Scale Earthquake rocked the area. The epicenter was located 7 miles northwest of the station in nearby Wabash County, Illinois. Some minor damage was recorded but the only visible effect was that Unit 4 deactivated itself because of its vibration detectors.^[4]

[edit] Environmental concerns

• The lake was recently closed for fishing due to high selenium levels.^[5]
• Unit 4 accidentally released a blue haze that floated for a time over Mount Carmel, as emissions of sulfuric acid descended on the town, aggravating respiratory illnesses & prompting an investigation by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
• There have been concerns voiced as recently as September 2007 that the plant's ash disposal pits have been leaking boron into the water tables of the area.^[6]
• The plant generates 20.4 million tons of CO₂ pollution each year, making it the fourth largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from power production in the United States^[7]

[edit] References

1. ^ http://www.duke-energy.com/power-plants/coal-fired/gibson.asp Duke Energy - Gibson Generating Station
2. ^ http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/rankings/plantsbycapacity.htm Power plants by capacity - United States DOE
3. ^ Gibson Station - Duke Energy
4. ^ http://www.tristate-media.com/articles/2008/04/21/pdclarion/news/news1.txt
5. ^ Gibson Lake Will Not Reopen for Fishing April 1 - Duke Energy
6. ^ http://indianalawblog.com/archives/2004/08/environment_gib.html Indiana Law Blog - Environment - Gibson Generating Plant Multi-Jurisdictional Issues 08/2004
7. ^ Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Power Plants Rated Worldwide

[edit] External links

• Duke Energy - Gibson Generating Station
• Gibson Generating Station on Wikimapia - [1]