Killen Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Killen Station |
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Killen Station in 2017 viewed from U.S. Route 52
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| Country | United States |
| Location | Monroe Township, Adams County, near Wrightsville, Ohio |
| Coordinates | 38°41′30″N 83°28′47″W / 38.69167°N 83.47972°W |
| Status | Decommissioned |
| Commission date | Unit 2: April, 1982 Oil Unit GT2: June, 1982 |
| Decommission date | May 31, 2018 |
| Owner(s) | AES Ohio Generation (67%) Dynegy (33%) |
| Operator(s) | AES Generation Ohio |
Killen Station was a big power plant in Ohio, near a town called Wrightsville. It could make 618 megawatts of electricity! This plant used two types of fuel: coal and oil. It started making power in 1982 and stopped on May 31, 2018. When it closed, it was run by AES Ohio Generation.
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Building the Power Plant
Work on Killen Station started in 1974. It began making electricity in 1982. The plant cost about $588 million to build. It was named after Robert B. Killen, who used to be in charge of Dayton Power & Light (DP&L).
There were plans to build a second coal unit. But these plans were stopped in 1980. This was because people thought less electricity would be needed in the future.
Making the Plant Cleaner
To help the environment, the coal unit at Killen Station got some upgrades. Between 2003 and 2004, a special system was added. It was called a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system. This system helped the plant follow rules from the Clean Air Act. These rules aimed to reduce pollution.
In 2007, more equipment was installed. This was called Flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) equipment. It helped to lower the amount of sulfur dioxide (SO2) released into the air.
Ownership Changes and Closure
In 2014, a company called Duke Energy sold its part of the coal unit to Dynegy. Then, in 2017, AES Ohio Generation took over running the plant from DP&L.
In March 2017, DP&L announced that Killen Station would close. It closed along with another plant called J.M. Stuart Station. This decision was made because of money problems and environmental challenges. Killen Station stopped making electricity on May 31, 2018. In 2019, the site was sold to a company that plans to clean it up and use the land for new things.
Ancient History at the Site
The land where Killen Station was built holds some very old secrets. There are two important archaeological sites there. These sites show signs of ancient people. They belonged to the Adena culture and Fort Ancient cultures.
To protect these sites during the power plant's construction, the Ohio History Connection took action. They asked the Department of the Interior to add these sites to the National Register of Historic Places. This happened in 1974.
Archaeologists studied these sites. They found many old objects and burial mounds. These discoveries helped us learn about the people who lived there long ago. These important historical sites are still protected today.
