Keystone Generating Station facts for kids

The Keystone Generating Station is a very large power plant that uses coal to make electricity. It can produce 1,711 megawatts (MW) of power, which is enough for many homes and businesses. The plant is located on about 1,500 acres of land in Plumcreek Township, Pennsylvania. It is near Crooked Creek, just west of Shelocta, Pennsylvania.

The Keystone plant was first built in 1967 and then made bigger in 1968. Over the years, many improvements have been added to help reduce pollution. These changes especially focus on cutting down harmful emissions like nitrogen and sulfur oxides.

How Keystone Power Plant Works

The Keystone Generating Station uses two large steam turbines to create electricity. These turbines started working in 1967 and 1968. The plant also has four large cooling towers.

Making Steam for Power

The main turbines are powered by steam. This steam is made in two huge boilers, each as tall as a 14-story building. To make all this steam, the plant uses more than four million tons of coal every year. The Keystone plant is known for being very reliable among coal power plants of its size in the United States.

World's Largest Power Units

When it was first built, Keystone's power units were the largest in the world. It was also one of the first power plants built far away from a big natural water source. To solve this, the Keystone Reservoir was created. This reservoir provides a steady supply of cooling water for the plant all year round. The cooling tower system at Keystone was an important early step in controlling pollution from large power plants in the U.S.

Controlling Pollution at Keystone

Since it first opened, the Keystone plant has added many systems to protect the environment. These include changes to its electrostatic precipitators, which help clean the air. A special system was also added to reduce nitrogen oxides (NO
x ) emissions. This system uses a Selective Catalytic Reactor (SCR).

In 2009, a wet flue-gas desulfurization system was installed. This system helps to reduce sulfur dioxide and heavy metal emissions. The plant also has a system that constantly checks its emissions. This ensures it meets strict environmental rules set by Pennsylvania.

Who Owns and Operates Keystone

The Keystone Generating Station is owned by a group of power companies. PSEG Fossil owns a 22.84 percent share of the plant. The plant is operated by Reliant Energy. The Keystone plant is very similar to the Conemaugh Generating Station, which PSEG Fossil also partly owns.

Here are some of the main owners:

• Public Service Enterprise Group: 22.84% (391 Megawatts)
• ArcLight Capital Partners: 20.91% (358 Megawatts)
• Reliant Energy (operator): 16% (274 Megawatts)
• PPL Montour LLC: 12.34% (211 Megawatts)
• NRG Energy: 3.7% (63 Megawatts)
• Duquesne Light Holdings: 2.47% (42.3 Megawatts)

Keystone's Emission Controls

The Keystone plant has worked to reduce its emissions over time.

Reducing Sulfur Dioxide

In late 2009, Keystone added a wet limestone scrubber system. This system helps to remove heavy metals and sulfur dioxide from the flue gas that leaves the plant.

Controlling Nitrogen Oxides

Since 2003, the plant has used SCR technology to reduce nitrogen oxides. However, after 2010, this equipment was used less often during the summer months. This meant that more nitrogen oxides were released into the air.

After new rules were put in place in Pennsylvania in 2017, NO
x emissions dropped significantly. They fell by 79% compared to 2011, when the SCR system was used less. This shows the plant's efforts to meet stricter environmental standards.