General James M. Gavin Power Plant is a 2,600-
megawatt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...
supercritical coal-fired
power station
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electr ...
in the village of
Cheshire, Ohio, United States. It is owned by Lightstone Generation LLC, a 50–50 joint venture of
The Blackstone Group L.P. and ArcLight Capital Partners. Gavin is the largest coal-fired power facility in Ohio,
and one of the largest in the US, capable of powering two million homes. In February 2017, the plant represented slightly more than 11% of the total electric generation capacity in Ohio according to the
Energy Information Administration
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and pub ...
(EIA). The plant was named in honor of
James Maurice "Jumpin' Jim" Gavin, the third
Commanding General (CG) of the
82nd Airborne Division
The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
History
Gavin's two units, rated at 1,300 MW each, were placed into service in 1974 and 1975. The power plant is connected to the electric transmission grid by 765-kilovolt transmission lines.
From its activation until the early 2000s, the coal supplier was from a mine in
Meigs County owned by
American Electric Power (AEP) through its subsidiary, Southern Ohio Coal Company.
In 2002, to avoid lawsuits relating to air pollution in the village of Cheshire, AEP decided to buy out the village, by paying every homeowner 3.5 times the market value of their home to move. The total deal came to around $20 million.
AEP sold Gavin along with three other plants to Blackstone and ArcLight as a part of a $2.17 billion deal in 2016.
The power plant has been using unlined pits to store its
fly ash
Coal combustion products (CCPs), also called coal combustion wastes (CCWs) or coal combustion residuals (CCRs), are byproducts of burning coal. They are categorized in four groups, each based on physical and chemical forms derived from coal combust ...
, which could contaminate
groundwater
Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit ...
. The facility's owners applied for a permit from the
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on De ...
(EPA) to continue operating and using the unlined pits. In November 2022, the EPA ordered the utility to stop dumping coal ash into unlined storage ponds and speed cleanup of the site. The plant may have to pause or even cease operations in order to comply with the order. The order becomes effective 135 days after publication in the Federal Register. If additional time is needed, the order included a process to address demonstrated grid reliability issues.
Operations
Gavin is equipped with a suite of air quality controls. These include
selective catalytic reduction units that reduce
nitrogen oxide
Nitrogen oxide may refer to a binary compound of oxygen and nitrogen, or a mixture of such compounds:
Charge-neutral
*Nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen(II) oxide, or nitrogen monoxide
* Nitrogen dioxide (), nitrogen(IV) oxide
* Nitrogen trioxide (), o ...
() emissions by 82%;
flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) units (scrubbers) that remove 94% of
sulfur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide (IUPAC-recommended spelling) or sulphur dioxide (traditional Commonwealth English) is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless gas with a pungent smell that is responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is r ...
() emissions and
electrostatic precipitator
An electrostatic precipitator (ESP) is a filterless device that removes fine particles, such as dust and smoke, from a flowing gas using the force of an induced electrostatic charge minimally impeding the flow of gases through the unit.
In c ...
s for particulate control. Together the controls reduce
mercury emissions by up to 91% and particulates by 99%.
The plant contributes approximately $6 million a year in property taxes that support the
Gallia County school system and government. The plant is Gallia County's largest taxpayer and makes annual contributions of more than $50,000 to local charities and non-profits.
See also
*
List of largest power stations in the United States
This article lists the largest List of power stations in the United States, electricity generating stations in the United States in terms of installed Nameplate capacity, electrical capacity. Non-renewable resource, Non-renewable power stations ar ...
*
List of power stations in Ohio
References
Energy infrastructure completed in 1974
Energy infrastructure completed in 1975
Coal-fired power stations in Ohio
Buildings and structures in Gallia County, Ohio
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