In The News

U.S. Representative Brad Wenstrup, Ohio Second District toured the Dayton Power and Light Company’s Killen Station on US 52 east of Manchester on Friday, Dec. 19.

Wenstrup and his staff were accompanied by Mark Miller, vice-president of Ohio Generation, AES U.S. and Derek A. Porter, president and CEO of Dayton Power & Light for a tour of Killen station given by Jim Stines, Health and Safety Coordinator and Acting General Manager of Killen Station.


Stines explained that Killen was originally planned to operate as two units; however, the second unit was never constructed. Killen is a 630 MW unit, which translates to roughly 500,000 residential buildings being powered, and employs 105 individuals across four shifts.


The conversation moved to Environmental Protection Agency regulations that affect DP&L. Killen currently uses Illinois basin coal, all of which is delivered by barge. Eastern Ohio, Eastern Kentucky, and West Virginia coal have been used in the past, depending on the economics of the coal market at the time.


Currently Killen has several technologies in place to handle the pollutant byproducts of the electric generation process. Electro-static precipitators remove ash from the gases sent to the stack.


Nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide are also removed in other stages. One of these stages is the Jet Bubbling Reactor, also referred to as a “scrubber.” The Jet Bubbling Reactors were installed at Killen and J.M. Stuart stations in 2006 and 2007 being the largest construction project in DP&L’s history at $860 million, according to Stines.


The Jet Bubbling Reactor is a large tank that contain a limestone slurry water bath that gas is injected into, percolating the gas through the slurry that reacts with the unwanted pollutants. This technology is 90 percent effective in removing sulfur dioxide, as well as mercury and other particulates.


“The scrubber removing mercury helps us immensely, as legislation called MATS - Mercury and Air Toxics - will be effective in April,” Stines said. “We didn’t have to add anything to comply with this, as the scrubber is already doing it.”


Stines then showed some data pointing out the benefits of the scrubber in reducing pollution output, while also increasing the costs of operation.


“If you go back and look between 1990 and 1999, we were burning coal and emitting sulfur dioxide of about 25,000 tons per year. Now with the addition of the scrubber, we are emitting about 5,000 to 8,000 tons per year. At the same time, though, there are costs associated with that. Back to 1999 to 2005, we were spending about $10 million a year on operations. With improvements to the station, with the addition of the scrubber, and with replacement of equipment in an aging power plant, our operations budget is closer to $30 million to $35 million.”


The scrubber also produces gypsum as a byproduct that is sold on the market.


“Almost all of the gypsum that comes out of here goes into the wallboard industry,” Stines explained. “We ship out about 400,000 tons every year.”


Killen uses ash ponds as their ash storage areas. The ponds were designed to handle the ash of two units over 35 years. As Killen only has one unit, the ponds will serve for 70 years. The ash ponds drew most of Wenstrup’s attention.


“Essentially the ash is at the bottom of the water, correct?” Wenstrup asked. “What is their concern? Is there some land contamination that is occurring?”


DP&L employees explained that the ponds are lined at Killen, but ponds at other plants have experienced containment failures, which is what the EPA is concerned about. If liners break, mercury and other heavy metals can leech into the groundwater.


However, DP&L states that they constantly monitor the levels of those pollutants in the area to make sure no leaking occurs. In addition, the ponds sit above the flood plain as a precaution against the river flowing into the pond during a flood.


“As regulations change, is there a presentation of science with it?” Wenstrup asked.


Stines answered, “What we’ve seen is the EPA change the standards over time and classify things as ‘hazardous’ that weren’t hazardous before.”


Wenstrup continued, “That is what I’m driving towards. Is it scientific or political just to keep making regulations more strenuous?”


After the presentation, Wenstrup was shown the turbine room, operation room, a coal pulverizer, and a view of the grounds from the ninth floor. The turbine wasn’t currently in operation, as the plant was down for maintenance. There was plenty of activity, though, as employees worked to clean and fix parts of the plant.


The presentation and the tour, was to help the congressman be better informed about the regulations facing coal-fueled power plants.

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