Charles P. Crane Generating Station
Encyclopedia
The Charles P. Crane Generating Station is a coal-fired electric generating station located on the Carroll Island Road in Bowleys Quarters
, Maryland
, 14 miles (22.5 km) east of Baltimore
. The power plant is operated by the Constellation Power Source Generation subsidiary
of Constellation Energy Group. The station has two coal-fired generating units, rated at 190 and 209 MWe
nominal capacity, and powered by cyclone steam boilers
. It also has a 16-MWe oil-fired combustion turbine
. The Crane station occupies 157 acre (0.63535702 km²) on the Middle River Neck Peninsula adjacent to the Seneca Creek tributary of the Gunpowder River
, and is on the rural side of the Baltimore County
Urban Rural Demarcation Line.
is delivered to the generating station by a dedicated rail spur used by the Norfolk Southern Railway
that connects to Amtrak
's Northeast Corridor
line. Regulatory approval to construct facilities allowing delivery by barge using a dredged channel from the Chesapeake Bay
was granted in 2006. The cyclone boilers require the use of medium-sulfur, low-fusion coal, which has been supplied mainly using North Appalachian Pittsburgh Seam 8
coal. The station uses approximately 950,000 tons of coal each year.
under the Energy Supply and Environmental Coordination Act of 1974.
The station is named for Charles P. Crane, who from 1950 to 1957 was president of the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, the predecessor company of Constellation Energy, and its chairman from 1955 to 1961.
regional transmission organization
.
Bowleys Quarters, Maryland
Bowleys Quarters is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, with a population of 6,314 in 2000.-History:...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, 14 miles (22.5 km) east of Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
. The power plant is operated by the Constellation Power Source Generation subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of Constellation Energy Group. The station has two coal-fired generating units, rated at 190 and 209 MWe
MWE
MWE may refer to:*Manufacturer's Weight Empty*McDermott Will & Emery*Midwest Express, an airline*Merowe Airport - IATA code*Multiword expressionMWe may refer to:*Megawatt electrical...
nominal capacity, and powered by cyclone steam boilers
Cyclone furnace
A cyclone furnace is a type of coal combustor commonly used in large industrial boilers.-Background:Developed in the early 1942 by Babcock & Wilcox to take advantage of coal grades not suitable for pulverized coal combustion, cyclone furnaces feed coal in a spiral manner into a combustion chamber...
. It also has a 16-MWe oil-fired combustion turbine
Gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
. The Crane station occupies 157 acre (0.63535702 km²) on the Middle River Neck Peninsula adjacent to the Seneca Creek tributary of the Gunpowder River
Gunpowder River
The Gunpowder River is a tidal inlet on the western side of Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, United States. It is formed by the joining of two freshwater rivers, Gunpowder Falls and Little Gunpowder Falls.-Gunpowder Falls:The Big Gunpowder, long, begins in the extreme southern part of Pennsylvania's...
, and is on the rural side of the Baltimore County
Baltimore County, Maryland
Baltimore County is a county located in the northern part of the US state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 805,029. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Towson. The name of the county was derived from the barony of the Proprietor of the Maryland...
Urban Rural Demarcation Line.
Coal delivery
CoalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
is delivered to the generating station by a dedicated rail spur used by the Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
that connects to Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
line. Regulatory approval to construct facilities allowing delivery by barge using a dredged channel from the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
was granted in 2006. The cyclone boilers require the use of medium-sulfur, low-fusion coal, which has been supplied mainly using North Appalachian Pittsburgh Seam 8
Pittsburgh coal seam
The Pittsburgh Coal Seam is the thickest and most extensive coal bed in the Appalachian Basin; hence, it is the most economically important coal beds in the eastern United States. The Upper Pennsylvanian Pittsburgh coal bed of the Monongahela Group is extensive and continuous, extending over...
coal. The station uses approximately 950,000 tons of coal each year.
History
The two cyclone boiler units were originally oil-fired. Unit 1 went into operation in 1961 and unit 2 in 1963. These two units were modified to use coal as their primary fuel following an order by the Department of EnergyUnited States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
under the Energy Supply and Environmental Coordination Act of 1974.
The station is named for Charles P. Crane, who from 1950 to 1957 was president of the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, the predecessor company of Constellation Energy, and its chairman from 1955 to 1961.
Dispatch of electricity
The electrical output of Charles P. Crane Generating Station is dispatched by the PJM InterconnectionPJM Interconnection
PJM Interconnection LLC is a Regional Transmission Organization which is part of the Eastern Interconnection grid operating an electric transmission system serving all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee,...
regional transmission organization
Regional Transmission Organization
A regional transmission organization in the United States is an organization that is responsible for moving electricity over large interstate areas. Like a transmission system operator , an RTO coordinates, controls and monitors an electricity transmission grid that is larger with much higher...
.