Sporn: (Satellite, an image is saved below because it is being torn down.)
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| James Moody posted Old Philip Sporn Plant, New Haven/Graham Station WV. My dad worked there 36 years after originally being at the Philo plant. Both plants were groundbreaking technology at the time. |
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| Satellite, I included the cemetery because generally they don't go away. |
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| Andrew Shafer posted AEP Mountaineer making megawatts |
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| Shane Michael posted AEP’s Mountaineer Plant in New Haven. WV! burning coal! Pic taken from Racine, OH. |
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| Gene Smith posted, cropped Sporn plant |
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| 15:23 drone video @ 0:55 |
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| 15:23 drone video @ 13:18 |
Two of the thirteen photos posted by Shane Michael with the comment: "Crounse's "Donna York" Making Her Way N/B In Racine, OH With 15 Rock Loads!!"
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I selected the photos that show smokestacks or conveyors in the background because they flag a power plant that is worthy of research. Some more views that Shane caught.
Two of the thirteen photos posted by Shane Michael with the comment: "AEP Mariner Making Their Way N/B In Racine, OH With Empties For Pow!!"
[AEP (American Electric Power) is the owner of the power plant. It appears they also own some towboats.]
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Two of the thirteen photos posted by Shane Michael with the comment: "Florida Marine's "Ms. Nicole" Making Her Way N/B In Racine, OH. She flipped tows with AB York!"
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In this view, what appears to be a smokestack on the right is actually two smokestacks.
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| Shane Michael posted |
Specifically, it is the two smokestacks on the right in this view taken from the Ohio side of the river. The two smokestacks on the left in the above view are the two smokestacks on the left in the below view. Obviously, the one on the right is active. And it is the one labeled "AEP Mountaineer Power Plant" on Google Maps. The power plant on the left is not labelled, but I have determined it was the Philip Sporn Power Plant. Since the one with the cooling towers looks newer, did it replace the ones on the left? Kinda. The Mountaineer started operation in 1980. "It has one of the tallest chimneys in the world at 336 meters [1100']." [MasonCounty] The 1,105 MW Sporn plant started ramping up operations in 1950, and it was shutdown in May 2015. [gem-s] These two plant provide an insight into power generating technology. The first four units at Sporn are 153 MW and came online between 1950 and 1952. Sporn added a fifth 496 MW unit in 1960. The 1980 plant has just one 1.3gw unit. [gem-m]
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If this plant has just one boiler, why does it have two smokestacks. This photo shows that one has not been replaced by another that has better pollution control because both stacks are active.
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| Dan Pfirman, Mar 2021 [The oil well in the foreground is a reminder that West Virginia produces oil and gas as well as coal.] |
Dana Williams Jr. posted two photos with the comment: "View for Phillip Sporns unit 5 stack. Mountaineer/1301 in the background."
Drew Bednarczyk: Ah, Mountaineer. Then gem of the AEP fleet.
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When you do a Google search, several hits concern a $334m project that would generate 235 MW with 90% of the CO2 captured and injected into geologic formations about 1.5 miles under ground. A general theme I've noticed while studying power plants concerning pollution control is that shareholders don't help pay for it. The choices are rate payers and/or Federal tax payers. In this case, the Feds were willing to do 50%. But the state regulators, even in these coal mining states, were not willing to accept a 12% rate increase. The states thought all of AEP's rate payers, not just the Appalachian Power Companies customers, should help pay for this pioneering technology that might have saved coal mining. Perhaps national organizations such as business associations and unions should have helped pay for the plant.
Another set of Google search results concern AEP replacing their ash ponds with ones that should do a better job of keeping toxic substances out of the ground water. The EPA is also requiring them to improve their landfill to also help clean up the ground water. Better control of their waste needs to be done even if they soon close the plant because the waste will remain.
And a Google search offers the topic "mountaineer power plant closing." Even though this 1980 power plant has a design life until 2040, they are considering shutting it down long before then.
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| Brian Taylor posted Mountaineer threw blades 4 years back. [2022-4 = 2018] [Given the unit is huge (1.3gw), that has to be an expensive booboo. Some of the comments indicate that this is what happens if a lot of water gets into the steam supply.] Brian Kroeker: wow that must have shaken the building. |
Saying goodbye to Sporn
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| safe_image for Twin Stack Demolition YouTube Video |
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| safe_image for Unit 5 Demolition YouTube Video The booms start at 1:26. |
Dec 17, 2022, postings:
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| 0:16 video @ 0:02 (source) There she blows…….RIP Phillip Sporn Plant 1947-2022 |
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| 5 photos and a video, cropped [Shove the slider for the video about halfway into the video. A couple of the photos were of the dust cloud near a playground.] |
A video from the other side.
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| 0:53 video, the "boom" happens at 0:14 Frank Romano: I lot of these coal plants were bult around the same timeframe, so they reached the end of their design life at the same time and would require huge investments to extend their life, which is impossible to economically justify when compared to the efficiencies of gas-fired plants. The cost to build and run a new combined-cycle gas-fired plant is much cheaper in every aspect compared to trying to keep a coal-fired plant running, even if you disregard the environmental side (which is not insignificant). The biggest issue the US has is if anything big happens to the natural gas supply since we've become way too dependent on it. We'd be in deep doo-doo. |
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