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 Bill Malone, control room operator, monitors the performance of generating turbines which produce enough electricity to power approximately 482,000 average-sized homes. Community Question Why not convert the coal-fired units to natural gas? Even if it were economic to build a gas-fired plant, which at the present time it is not, doing so would be extremely disruptive to citizens. Converting to natural gas requires access to high-pressure gas transmission lines — and the nearest one is 15 miles away in Woodbridge,
Virginia. Creating a connection would necessitate expensive underground construction through Old Town Alexandria. Not only that, the high and volatile price of gas due to tight supplies makes investment in a natural gas-fired plant uneconomic to the investor, and would also contribute to a dramatic rise in already-increasing energy prices. |
Potomac River Generating Station’s five generating units are capable of producing 482 megawatts (MW) of electricity — enough to power approximately 482,000 average-sized homes. The plant was designed to use coal, an affordable and abundant American fuel source, to produce energy. We’re making coal cleaner Today coal fuels more than 50 percent of the nation’s energy supply. In the Mid-Atlantic, coal-fired generation accounts for the biggest percentage of net summer capacity, by a large margin. Given the volatility of gas prices, and the vast stores of coal within the United States, this lower-cost fuel will continue to be a major component of our nation’s energy strategy. Since acquiring
the plant in 2000, Mirant has made several investments — including state-of-the-art technology enhancements — to minimize emissions and reduce the environmental impact of coal. Learn how we’re improving air quality» Equipment Overview
| Units |
Net Summer Capacity |
Began Service |
| Unit 1 |
88 MW |
October 1949 |
| Unit 2 |
88 MW |
June 1950 |
| (Units 1 and 2 are cycling units that offer more flexibility in how they are dispatched. Cycling units can be brought online quickly to respond to increases in demand.) |
| Unit 3 |
102 MW |
June 1954 |
| Unit 4 |
102 MW |
February 1956 |
| Unit 5 |
102 MW |
May 1957 |
| (Units 3, 4 and 5 are considered baseload units and are called into service more often than Units 1 and 2. The baseload units typically run 24 hours a day.) |
| Boilers |
Nos. 1 & 2 |
Nos. 3, 4 & 5 |
Designer/
Manufacturer: |
Combustion Engineering, Inc. |
Combustion Engineering, Inc. |
| Type: |
Natural circulation, tangentially coal-fired with superheater and economizer |
Controlled circulation, tangentially coal-fired with superheater, single reheater and economizer |
| Height: |
127 feet |
127 feet |
| Steam Capacity: |
800,000 lbs./hr. @ 850 psig with 950°F main steam |
725,000 lbs./hr. @ 1,825 psig with 1,050°F main steam and 1,000°F reheat |
| Turbine Generators |
Nos. 1 & 2 |
Nos. 3, 4 & 5 |
| Type: |
Straight flow-condensing 1,800 RPM |
Tandem compound, two-flow, single reheat — condensing 3,600 RPM |
Designer/
Manufacturer: |
General Electric |
General Electric |
| Maximum Rating: |
93,000 kW |
108,000 kW |
Stacks 5 total, each 161 feet high Fuels
- Requirements for steam units: average of approximately 3,800 tons/day of coal; low sulfur coal (1% maximum)
- Delivery: Norfolk Southern Railroad
- Storage: Capacity for 135,000 tons of coal on site
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