Cumberland Power Plant
Cumberland Power Plant is a 2.6-GW pulverized coal-powered power station located at 36°23′29″N 87°39′17″W / 36.39139°N 87.65472°WCoordinates: 36°23′29″N 87°39′17″W / 36.39139°N 87.65472°W in Cumberland City, Tennessee, USA, on the south bank of Lake Barkley on the Cumberland River. Owned and operated by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), it produces the most electricity of all plants in the TVA system.[1]
Tall chimneys
It has two of the tallest chimneys in the world at 1,001 feet (305 m), built in 1970.
Individual units
Its identical Units 1 and 2, rated at 1.3 GW each, were launched into service in March and November, 1973.[2] In 2004, the two units accounted for almost 12% of TVA's total electricity generation.[1]
Coal delivery
Bituminous coal is delivered by barges along the Cumberland River waterway. The plant consumes about 20,000 tons of coal a day.[1]
Water use
All of the waste heat is dumped into Cumberland River water.
Pollution and releases into environment
| Pollutant | Air | Water | Land | Offsite disposal | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antimony compounds | 39 | 178 | 8,947 | 0 | 9,164 |
| Arsenic compounds | 182 | 119 | 46,096 | 0 | 46,397 |
| Barium compounds | 142 | 0 | 279,200 | 25 | 279,367 |
| Beryllium compounds | 10 | 0 | 9,952 | 1 | 9,963 |
| Cadmium compounds | |||||
| Chromium compounds | 368 | 142 | 87,420 | 7 | 87,937 |
| Cobalt compounds | 63 | 89 | 19,887 | 1 | 20,040 |
| Copper compounds | 286 | 6,798 | 64,120 | 3 | 71,207 |
| Lead compounds | 253 | 0 | 59,122 | 3 | 59,378 |
| Manganese compounds | 558 | 33,864 | 177,130 | 18 | 211,570 |
| Mercury compounds | 240 | 0 | 346 | 0 | 586 |
| Nickel compounds | 516 | 2,504 | 98,180 | 6 | 101,206 |
| Selenium compounds | 2,501 | 2,075 | 6,573 | 0 | 11,149 |
| Silver compounds | |||||
| Thallium compounds | 36 | 0 | 30,200 | 2 | 30,239 |
| Vanadium compounds | 290 | 0 | 191,560 | 13 | 191,864 |
| Zinc compounds | 2,006 | 2,447 | 248,070 | 12 | 252,534 |
| Hydrochloric acid (aerosol) | 340,006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 340,006 |
| Hydrogen fluoride | 72,006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72,006 |
| Sulfuric acid (aerosol) | 8,793,606 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8,793,606 |
| Benzo(g,h,i)perylene | 0.21 | 0 | 0.65 | 0 | 0.87 |
| Dioxins | 0.008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.008 |
| Polycyclic aromatic compounds | 49.8 | 0 | 59.2 | 0.0 | 109.0 |
| Naphthalene | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Ammonia | 3,640 | 316 | 0 | 0 | 3,956 |
| Nitrate compounds | 0 | 128,879 | 0 | 0 | 132,407 |
Environmental protection measures
To reduce sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions, both units at Cumberland use wet limestone scrubbers. To reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx), the units use low-NOx burners as well as selective catalytic reduction systems, which were completed in 2004.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Cumberland Fossil Plant". Tennessee Valley Authority. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
- ↑ "Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, 2006" (Excel). Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy. 2006. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
- ↑ "Cumberland Fossil Plant, Emissions". Tennessee Valley Authority. Retrieved 2008-07-18.