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ST. LOUIS, Dec. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Coal-fueled power plants operated by Dynegy Inc. and Southwestern Electric Power Company, a unit of American Electric Power (AEP), were honored for leadership in deploying advanced technologies that deliver ultra-low emissions as part of Peabody Energy's inaugural Advanced Energy for Life "Clean Coal Awards." Presented at the Power-Gen International Awards Banquet in Orlando, Fla., the honors recognize the best environmental performance achieved among U.S. coal power plants in 2013 based on key emission rates.
The award recipients include:
- Dynegy Inc. and its Coffeen Plant in Montgomery County, Ill., a 40-year-old
915 megawatt power plant, has the lowest sulfur dioxide emissions rate among U.S. coal plants, which is 99 percent lower than the U.S. coal plant average. Dynegy also uses low-sulfur Powder River Basin coal. - Southwestern Electric Power Company, a unit of AEP, which operates the John W. Turk Jr. plant in Fulton, Ark., a 600 megawatt ultra-supercritical power plant built in 2012. John W. Turk Jr. is the most efficient coal plant in the U.S. The plant's heat rate was 16 percent better than the United States coal fleet average this past year.
"America has a long track record of using more coal, more cleanly to deliver a reliable supply of low-cost energy for families and businesses," said Peabody Energy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gregory H. Boyce. "We applaud this year's honorees for their leadership in advancing technologies to achieve our environmental goals as we work to create greater awareness about the tremendous environmental success story we can achieve with today's advanced coal technologies."
Coal used for electricity in the United States has increased 170 percent since 1970 as the key emissions rate has been reduced by 90 percent on a per megawatt hour basis. From 2005 to 2013, the U.S. coal fleet achieved a 9.4 percent annual decrease in the emissions rate, a greater percentage on a per annum basis than recorded any time in the previous 35 years.
The term "clean coal" was defined by the U.S. Congress nearly a quarter century ago. Clean coal technologies include high-efficiency supercritical and ultra-supercritical generation as well as the collection of today's advanced coal technologies that minimize sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulates and mercury.
Coal fuels more than 40 percent of U.S. electricity, more than any other fuel. It is the world's fastest-growing major fuel source, set to surpass oil as the world's largest global energy source in coming years.
Globally one new 500 megawatt coal plant is being brought on line every three days, and the majority of this power is being developed as high-efficiency supercritical and ultra-supercritical generation that delivers low emissions. As the world continues to use more coal, broad deployment of supercritical technology with advanced controls should be the global standard.
The Advanced Energy for Life "Clean Coal" awards will be expanded to include the global coal fleet in 2015. Click here to read more about the award recipients and contact Jacob Williams, Vice President of Peabody Energy Global Analytics for more information on the awards and the selection process.
Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU) is the world's largest private-sector coal company and a global leader in sustainable mining, energy access and clean coal solutions. Visit AdvancedEnergyforLife.com and PeabodyEnergy.com.
CONTACT:
Cabanne Howard
(314) 518-7225
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SOURCE Peabody Energy