Peabody Energy Honors Cleanest Coal-Fueled Power Plants In United States

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Peabody Energy today recognized U.S. coal-fueled power plants for top environmental performance with the 2016 Peabody Energy Clean Coal Awards.  Honors were determined based on data available from the Environmental Protection Agency for the lowest sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO_x) emissions rates in addition to the best efficiency (as measured by heat rate), which results in a lower carbon footprint.  Starting this year, the company also presented awards to industry pioneers advancing modern, large-scale carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) projects.  Honoree selection for the new awards followed a comprehensive review process by an independent panel of CCUS subject matter experts. 

"Peabody has advocated clean coal technologies to reduce carbon and other emissions for nearly two decades, and we are pleased to shine a bright light on the quality work being done in the U.S. to advance high-efficiency, low-emissions generation and low-carbon systems," said Peabody Energy President and Chief Executive Officer Glenn Kellow. "Our 2016 winners showcase the tremendous environmental success achieved today and the progress toward large-scale carbon capture technologies we believe are essential for society's carbon goals."

Awards were presented at Power-Gen International in Orlando, Fl., and honorees included:

• Dynegy's Coffeen Plant: Honored for the best SO₂ emissions rate among U.S. coal plants.  The Coffeen plant has a SO₂ emissions profile that is 99 percent better than the U.S. coal fleet average.  The 915 megawatt power plant operates in Central Illinois and is over 50 years old.  The Coffeen Plant uses low-sulfur Powder River Basin coal and added a wet scrubber in 2009.
• Southwestern Electric Power Company's (SWEPCO) John W. Turk Jr. Plant: Honored for the best NO_x emissions rate among U.S. coal plants.  The Turk plant has a NO_x emissions profile that is 79 percent better than the U.S. coal fleet average.  The 600 megawatt ultra-supercritical power plant was built in Fulton, Ark., by SWEPCO, a unit of American Electric Power, and began commercial operation in 2012. 
• Longview Power LLC's Longview Power Plant: Honored for the lowest heat rate among U.S. coal plants.  The Longview plant operates at a level of efficiency 15 percent better than the U.S. coal fleet average.  Longview's best-in-class heat rate of 9,003 Btu per kilowatt hour in 2015 continues to improve, and the company's current efficiency performance is on track to be well below 8,900 Btu per kilowatt hour.  The 705 megawatt supercritical power plant located in Maidsville, W. Va., was commissioned in 2011. 
• Mississippi Power's Kemper County Energy Facility: Honored as Carbon Capture, Use and Storage Pioneer.  The 582 megawatt Kemper facility located in Kemper County, Miss., employs Transport Integrated Gasification technology that is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions by 65 percent.  Judges applauded the facility's innovation in the areas of ash removal and CO₂ separation, noting "the technology holds great promise for future new electric power plants."
• NRG Energy and JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration's Petra Nova Carbon Capture Project:  Honored as Carbon Capture, Use and Storage Pioneer.  The Petra Nova project demonstrates commercial-scale deployment of post-combustion carbon capture and is designed to capture approximately 90 percent of CO₂ emissions from a 240 megawatt equivalent slipstream of flue gas from the W.A. Parish plant in Thompsons, Texas, southwest of Houston.  Judges commended the project's innovative capture technology, observing that it "represents the first large-scale retrofit of an existing coal-fired power plant."

Today's high-efficiency, low-emissions (HELE) coal-fueled generation includes multiple technologies capable of reducing the vast majority of SO₂, NO_x, particulate matter, mercury and other emissions.  Advanced HELE technologies result in a smaller environmental footprint, achieving as much as a 25 percent reduction in a plant's CO₂ emissions rate.  Longer-term investments in next-generation carbon capture technologies are widely recognized as essential to meet long-term global climate goals.

The Peabody Energy Clean Coal Awards program was established in 2014 to recognize leadership and improve awareness about the benefits of clean coal technologies.  Peabody believes coal will continue to be an important part of the world's energy mix and responsible use including further deployment of advanced coal technologies can help achieve energy security, economic growth and environmental solutions. 

Peabody Energy is the world's largest private-sector coal company and a Fortune 500 company.  The company serves metallurgical and thermal coal customers in 25 countries on six continents and has earned more than 130 safety, corporate and environmental honors in the past five years.  For further information, visit www.PeabodyEnergy.com.

CONTACT:
Stephanie Weiler
(314) 342-7798  

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SOURCE Peabody Energy