Gibson Generating Station
Encyclopedia
The Gibson Generating Station is a coal-burning power plant
located at the northern end of northern Montgomery Township
, Gibson County, Indiana
, United States
. It is close to the Wabash River
, just opposite Mount Carmel, Illinois
. With a 2009 aggregate capacity among its five units of 3,750 megawatts, it is the largest power plant run by Duke Energy
, the third-largest coal power plant in the world, and the ninth-largest electrical plant in the United States, and with the closure of Nanticoke Generating Station
in 2014, will become the largest coal power plant in North America
by generated power. Also on the grounds of the facility is a 3000 acre (12.1 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 National Wildlife Refuge, the newest unit of the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area
. Opened in August 2006, this 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) area serves as a nesting ground for the Least Tern, a rare bird. Cane Ridge NWR is reportedly the easternmost nesting ground for the bird in the U.S. The Gibson Generating Station is connected to the power grid via five 345 KV and one 138 KV transmission lines to 79 Indiana counties including the Indianapolis area
and a sixth 345 KV line running from GGS to Evansville
and Henderson, owned by Vectren
and Kenergy.
Cinergy took over PSI in 1995. During this time, all five units were fitted with new Selective catalytic reduction
(SCR) units, mounted on the back of each unit. During this construction, one of the largest cranes in the world was erected at GGS. Despite this the station only had 4 stacks for 5 units. Units 1 & 2 still shared a single-flued smokestack and Unit 3 was still using the old 3 & 4 smokestack (The two darker smokestacks in the above photogaph).
Duke Energy took over Cinergy in May, 2006.
Several projects are being constructed to increase the capacity to as much as 3,750MW and a series of SCR units have been installed to decrease its NOx
emissions. These improvements were completed in 2008 with unit 5 being the last.
. Some minor damage was recorded but the only visible effect was that Unit 4 deactivated itself because of its vibration detectors.
Fossil fuel power plant
A fossil-fuel power station is a power station that burns fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas or petroleum to produce electricity. Central station fossil-fuel power plants are designed on a large scale for continuous operation...
located at the northern end of northern Montgomery Township
Montgomery Township, Gibson County, Indiana
Montgomery Township is the largest of the ten townships in Gibson County, Indiana as well as one of the largest townships by area in Southwestern Indiana. As of the 2000 census, its population was 3,698, with a 2005 population estimate of 4,479. Owensville is the seat. Montgomery Township is...
, Gibson County, Indiana
Gibson County, Indiana
Gibson County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Indiana and is included in the Evansville, Indiana–Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 33,503. The county seat is Princeton.-Geography:...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is close to the Wabash River
Wabash River
The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...
, just opposite Mount Carmel, Illinois
Mount Carmel, Illinois
Mount Carmel is a city in and the county seat of Wabash County, Illinois, United States. At the time of the 2000 census, the population was 7,982, while the next largest town in Wabash County is Allendale, population 528. Located at the confluence of the Wabash, Patoka, and White Rivers, Mount...
. With a 2009 aggregate capacity among its five units of 3,750 megawatts, it is the largest power plant run by Duke Energy
Duke Energy
Duke Energy , headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an energy company with assets in the United States, Canada and Latin America.-Overview:...
, the third-largest coal power plant in the world, and the ninth-largest electrical plant in the United States, and with the closure of Nanticoke Generating Station
Nanticoke Generating Station
The Nanticoke Generating Station is the largest coal-fired power plant in North America, delivering up to 2,760 MW of power into the southern Ontario power grid from its base in Nanticoke, Ontario, Canada. Previous to unit shutdowns, its generating capacity was 3,964 MW. It is owned by...
in 2014, will become the largest coal power plant in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
by generated power. Also on the grounds of the facility is a 3000 acre (12.1 km²) large man-made lake called Gibson Lake
Gibson Lake (Indiana)
Gibson Lake is the cooling pond for Duke Energy Indiana's Gibson Generating Station. Measuring at around , it is the largest lake in Indiana built completely above ground, its shores consisting of rock levees on all but two of the lake's six sides both of which were also built up to build the power...
which is used as a cooling pond
Cooling pond
A cooling pond is a man-made body of water primarily formed for the purpose of supplying cooling water to a nearby power plant or industrial facility such as a petroleum refinery, pulp and paper mill, chemical plant, steel mill or smelter...
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 National Wildlife Refuge, the newest unit of the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area
Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area
The Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area established in 1994, is a collection of wildlife refuges and habitats situated along the Patoka River in Gibson and Pike Counties in Southwestern Indiana. It consists mostly of the main body refuge along nearly 40 miles of the river's...
. Opened in August 2006, this 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) area serves as a nesting ground for the Least Tern, a rare bird. Cane Ridge NWR is reportedly the easternmost nesting ground for the bird in the U.S. The Gibson Generating Station is connected to the power grid via five 345 KV and one 138 KV transmission lines to 79 Indiana counties including the Indianapolis area
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
and a sixth 345 KV line running from GGS to Evansville
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
and Henderson, owned by Vectren
Vectren
Vectren Corporation is an energy holding company headquartered in Evansville, Indiana. Through its utility subsidiaries , the company distributes natural gas to approximately one million business and residential customers in Indiana and Ohio...
and Kenergy.
History
Gibson Generating Station was originally built as a two-unit coal-fired power plant in 1972 by Public Service Indiana (PSI). The 70's saw the addition of Units 3, 4, and 5 in 1982, but only two more stacks. In the 90's, number 4 was separated from number 3's stack and each was given its own stack.Cinergy took over PSI in 1995. During this time, all five units were fitted with new Selective catalytic reduction
Selective catalytic reduction
Selective catalytic reduction is a means of converting nitrogen oxides, also referred to as with the aid of a catalyst into diatomic nitrogen , , and water, . A gaseous reductant, typically anhydrous ammonia, aqueous ammonia or urea, is added to a stream of flue or exhaust gas and is absorbed...
(SCR) units, mounted on the back of each unit. During this construction, one of the largest cranes in the world was erected at GGS. Despite this the station only had 4 stacks for 5 units. Units 1 & 2 still shared a single-flued smokestack and Unit 3 was still using the old 3 & 4 smokestack (The two darker smokestacks in the above photogaph).
Duke Energy took over Cinergy in May, 2006.
Recent additions
Work was just recently completed on the plant's two new 620 ft (189 m) smokestacks. The wider two-flue stack is for Units 1 & 2 with a flue for each unit, replacing the older, share-flued smokestack, while the narrower stack is for Unit 3, completely replacing the old 3 & 4 smokestack. All four newer smokestacks (1 & 2, 3, 4, & the older Unit 5) all usually put out a full plume while the older two are now stripped out derelicts pretty much left to nesting cliff birds such as the Peregrin Falcon or the Bald Eagle which are usual residents around the Main Plant Complex.Several projects are being constructed to increase the capacity to as much as 3,750MW and a series of SCR units have been installed to decrease its NOx
NOx
NOx is a generic term for the mono-nitrogen oxides NO and NO2 . They are produced from the reaction of nitrogen and oxygen gases in the air during combustion, especially at high temperatures...
emissions. These improvements were completed in 2008 with unit 5 being the last.
Unit Information
| Unit 1 Fully Owned |
Unit 2 Fully Owned |
Unit 3 Fully Owned |
Unit 4 Fully Owned |
Unit 5 Franchised |
Plant-Wide | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Maximum Power Output (MW) | 635 | 630 | 630 | 630 | 620 | 3,145MW |
| 2009 Output MW Summer/Winter Spring/Fall |
750 725 |
750 730 |
750 690 |
750 730 |
750 735 |
3,750 MW 3,610 MW |
| Completion Overhauled |
1974 2007 |
1975 2007 |
1977 2005 |
1978 2009 |
1982 2008 |
Ongoing Construction and Maintenance in two periods: Fall Outage and Spring Outage. Construction & Maintenance rotates among the five units with short periods as needed. |
| Ownership | Duke Energy 100% | Duke Energy 100% | Duke Energy 100% | Duke Energy 100% | Duke Energy 51% Wabash Vly. P.A. 24.5% Indiana Mun. P. A. 24.5% |
Duke Energy 90.3% W.V.P.A. 4.87% I.M.P.A. 4.87% |
Earthquake Effects
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 (11.3 km) northwest of the station in nearby Wabash County, IllinoisWabash County, Illinois
Wabash County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 11,947, which is a decrease of 7.7% from 12,937 in 2000...
. Some minor damage was recorded but the only visible effect was that Unit 4 deactivated itself because of its vibration detectors.
Environmental concerns
- The lake was closed for fishing in 2006 due to high seleniumSeleniumSelenium is a chemical element with atomic number 34, chemical symbol Se, and an atomic mass of 78.96. It is a nonmetal, whose properties are intermediate between those of adjacent chalcogen elements sulfur and tellurium...
levels. - Unit 4 accidentally released a blue haze that floated for a time over Mount Carmel, as emissions of sulfuric acidSulfuric acidSulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...
descended on the town, aggravating respiratory illnesses and prompting an investigation by the Illinois Environmental Protection AgencyIllinois Environmental Protection AgencyThe Illinois Environmental Protection Agency of the state of Illinois is the primary body concerned with the protection of the environment for the state...
. - There have been concerns voiced as recently as September 2007 that the plant's ash disposal pits have been leaking boronBoronBoron is the chemical element with atomic number 5 and the chemical symbol B. Boron is a metalloid. Because boron is not produced by stellar nucleosynthesis, it is a low-abundance element in both the solar system and the Earth's crust. However, boron is concentrated on Earth by the...
into the water tables of the area. - The plant generates 20.4 million tons of CO2Carbon dioxideCarbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
pollution each year, making it the fourth largest source of greenhouse gasGreenhouse gasA greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions from power production in the United States