Killen Station Explained

Killen Station
Country:United States
Location:Monroe Township, Adams County, near Wrightsville, Ohio
Coordinates:38.6917°N -83.4797°W
Owner:AES Ohio Generation (67%)
Dynegy (33%)
Operator:AES Generation Ohio
Status:D
Th Fuel Primary:Coal
Oil
Ps Cooling Source:Ohio River
Ps Electrical Capacity:618
Commissioned:Unit 2: April, 1982
Oil Unit GT2: June, 1982
Decommissioned:May 31, 2018

Killen Station was a 618 megawatt (MW) dual-fuel power generating facility located east of Wrightsville, Ohio in Adams County, Ohio. The power plant had two units: one coal-fired and one oil-fired. At the time of its closure, it was operated by AES Ohio Generation, a subsidiary of the AES Corporation. The plant began operations in 1982 and ceased generation on May 31, 2018.

History

Construction of Killen Station began in 1974 and commenced commercial generation in 1982 at a cost of $588 million.[1] [2] The plant was named after Robert B. Killen, a former chairman of Dayton Power & Light (DP&L).[3] A second coal unit was planned, but was cancelled in 1980 after estimates for electric use in the next decade were revised showing demand stagnating.[4] Killen's coal unit was retrofitted with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system between 2003 and 2004 by Black & Veatch. The SCR was installed to comply with the Clean Air Act's 1990 amendments and Ohio's State Implementation Plan (SIP).[5] Flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) equipment, designed by the Chiyoda Corporation, was installed at Killen in 2007 to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions.[6] In August 2014, Duke Energy sold its stake in the coal unit to Dynegy.[7] Operations at Killen were transferred from DP&L to AES Ohio Generation in October 2017.[8]

Closure

DP&L announced plans in March 2017 to close Killen Station along with its sister plant J.M. Stuart Station due to economic and environmental challenges in an agreement with the Sierra Club and several unnamed parties.[9] The commercial generation of Killen ceased on May 31, 2018.[10] In December 2019, DP&L sold the site to Kingfisher Development for remediation and redevelopment.[11]

Incidents

A worker was killed in August 1984 after getting pinned in a coal chute.[12]

A worker died in June 1994 from hyperthermia after attempting to rescue workers stranded in the plant's 900feet smokestack.[13] [14]

On December 9, 2020, contractors were working to prepare the site for demolition. At around 8:30 A.M. the primary building collapsed injuring several and trapping others. Three workers were rescued from the collapse. Three days later, one worker was found dead[15] [16] [17] and on January 8, 2021, thirty days after the collapse, the final worker's body was recovered.[18]

Archaeological site

The lands owned by DP&L for Killen Station contain two archaeological sites that date back to the Adena and Fort Ancient cultures. To prevent the sites from being disturbed during construction of the power plant, the Ohio Historical Society applied to the Department of the Interior to include Wamsley Village and an Adena burial mound on the National Register of Historic Places.[19] Both listings were added to the National Register in 1974.[20] [21] Archeology was conducted at Wamsley Village and the mound. The archeologists discovered a number of artifacts and burials.[22] These sites remain preserved today.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Zimmer, Killen Operation Delays Blamed On Federal Regulations. Gouch. John. The Daily Advocate. December 19, 1980. 1. https://newspaperarchive.com/. April 13, 2018.
  2. Web site: DP&L's new Killen Station means likely boost in rates. Schutte. John. The Daily Gazette. April 1, 1982. 1. https://newspaperarchive.com/. April 13, 2018.
  3. News: Former DP&L President Dead at 88. Dayton Daily News. May 9, 2002. 4E. https://www.newsbank.com/. January 14, 2018.
  4. News: 2 Ohio utilities delay power plant building, cite lower demand. The Plain Dealer. September 20, 1980. 18A. https://www.newsbank.com/. January 14, 2018.
  5. News: Black & Veatch completing SCR project for Dayton Power & Light. Power Engineering. January 31, 2003. December 9, 2017.
  6. News: Scrubber project completed at Killen Station. Mitchell. Wendy. The Ledger Independent. June 7, 2007. January 15, 2018.
  7. Web site: Duke Energy selling interest in Stuart and Killen Stations. Mitchell. Wendy. The Ledger Independent. August 22, 2014. April 12, 2018.
  8. News: 300 DPL employees to be to AES Ohio Generation. Gnau. Thomas. Dayton Daily News. September 22, 2017. April 19, 2018.
  9. News: DP&L determined to close J.M. Stuart and Killen power plants . Mitchell. Wendy. The Ledger Independent. March 20, 2017. December 10, 2017.
  10. News: DPL Inc. Announces the Retirement of the J.M. Stuart and Killen Station Power Plants. Business Wire. May 31, 2018. May 31, 2018.
  11. News: DPL prepares to sell two Adams County power plants. Gnau. Thomas. Dayton Daily News. December 16, 2019. December 18, 2019.
  12. News: Man Killed in Power Plant Accident. Lexington Herald-Leader. August 19, 1984. C19. https://www.newsbank.com/. January 14, 2018.
  13. News: Hot, yes, but whew, is it ever moldy!. Bonfield. Tim. The Cincinnati Enquirer. June 17, 1994. A8. https://www.newspapers.com. April 12, 2018.
  14. https://law.justia.com/cases/ohio/supreme-court-of-ohio/1998/1998-ohio-408.html. Hannah v. Dayton Power & Light Co.. 97. St.3d. 783. OH. 1998. April 12, 2018.
  15. News: Dykes . Todd . As efforts continue to find 2 missing workers, past incident involving demolition company back in focus . 11 December 2020 . WLWT . 10 December 2020 . en.
  16. News: Democrat . News . Killen Plant collapses with workers inside . 9 December 2020 . News Democrat . 9 December 2020.
  17. News: Knight . Cameron . Killen Generating Station: One of three workers trapped in Adams County building collapse found . 9 December 2020 . The Enquirer.
  18. News: Body of missing man located 30 days after Adams County power plant collapse . 8 January 2021 . WLWT . 14 December 2020 . en.
  19. Energy Facility Siting Procedures Criteria And Public Participation In The Ohio River Basin Energy Study Region. Whitlatch. E. Earl. Aldrich. John A.. EPA. August 1980. April 29, 2018. 60–61.
  20. Web site: Wamsley Village Site. National Park Service. April 29, 2018.
  21. Web site: Dayton Power and Light Company Mound. National Park Service. April 29, 2018.
  22. Book: Purtill, Matthew. A Persistent Place: A Landscape Approach to the Prehistoric Archaeology of the Greenlee Tract in Southern Ohio. 9. Lulu.com. 2012. 978-1105873232.