Charles R. Lowman Power Plant - PowerSouth Energy Cooperative

Charles R. Lowman Power Plant
L E R O Y, A L A B A M A
A RELIABLE, AFFORDABLE
ENERGY SUPPLY
Electricity storage is impractical in most
circumstances. That means every minute
of every day, PowerSouth’s power supply
must match power demands. Each
generating facility plays an important role
in PowerSouth’s mission to provide safe,
reliable and cost-effective energy to our
members.
PowerSouth operates generating facilities
at three sites in Alabama. Collectively,
this fleet is capable of generating
more than 2,000 megawatts of electricity.
PowerSouth operates a diverse mix of
plant technologies and fuel sources,
including hydroelectric, coal, natural gas
and compressed air energy storage. This
fuel diversity enables us to minimize cost
impacts from any one fuel source and
ensures a reliable power supply.
The Charles R.
Lowman Power
Plant, Leroy, Ala.
The Lowman Power Plant was named after
former PowerSouth General Manager Charles
R. Lowman, who served 38 years with the
company.
Plant Lowman is a coal-fired steam generating
plant that incorporates traditional generation
methods with today’s technology to generate
affordable, efficient and environmentally sound
energy for PowerSouth’s members.
The plant’s three units became commercial in
1969, 1979 and 1980, respectively.
Plant Lowman’s 556-megawatt capacity
provides enough electricity to power about
556,000 homes.
Generating positive energy
PowerSouth is rooted in its commitment to
its members, employees and neighbors in the
communities it serves.
Safety is PowerSouth’s top priority and numberone corporate value. Through a comprehensive
safety program, PowerSouth promotes the
well-being of its employees, the general public
and future generations.
PowerSouth supports local communities. The
Lowman Power Plant has a positive effect on
the economic vitality of Washington County
and surrounding areas. Annually, Washington
County receives more than $2 million in
property tax from PowerSouth for the Charles
R. Lowman Power Plant, McIntosh Power Plant
(McIntosh, Ala.) and other transmission facilities.
PowerSouth strives to be a responsible
corporate citizen and ensure its operations
have a minimal effect on the environment.
Using advanced technology and proven
methods, PowerSouth works to reduce
emissions and preserve a healthy, clean
environment for its neighbors.
At full capacity, Plant Lowman can burn
1.7 million tons
of coal per year.
COAL-FIRED GENERATION:
Stack
Scrubber
Boiler
Precipitator
Generator
SCR
Barge Unloader
Pulverizer
Turbine
Transformer
Coal Pile
Electricity
Cooling Tower
Steam Line
Ash collection
Condenser
Air Fan
Feedwater Pump
Condensate Line
Water Treatment
Reverse Osmosis
Makeup to Cooling Water
Tombigbee River
Pump
Courtesy of Progress Energy
Coal is transported to the Lowman Power Plant
by rail and by barge on the Tombigbee River.
Coal delivered by barge is unloaded using a
floating barge unloader and routed to the
coal pile via conveyors. Rail coal is unloaded in
a hopper and put on a conveyor that also takes
it to the coal pile.
The pulverizer grinds the coal into a fine
powder before it is blown into a furnace-like
device (called a boiler) and burned. The heat
produced converts water, which runs through a
series of pipes in the boiler, into steam.
The high-pressure steam turns the blades of
a turbine, which is connected by a shaft to a
generator. The generator spins and produces
electricity.
A condenser for each unit converts turbine
exhaust steam into water so it can be returned
to the boiler for reuse in the steam-making
process. In this closed cycle, the same water is
used repeatedly.
Water pumped from the Tombigbee River is
clarified and filtered in water treatment for use
as cooling water makeup and boiler water
makeup.
Cooling water passes through thousands of
copper tubes in the condenser, and as the
exhaust steam from the turbine contacts the
tubes, it cools and forms condensate to return
to the boiler.
The cooling water picks up heat in the process
and goes to the cooling tower where the
water is cooled by the evaporation process and
is recycled to the condenser.
Some of the treated water goes to the plant
and enters the Reverse Osmosis system that
purifies this water for use in the boiler.
As electricity is generated at Plant Lowman, it
is conducted to an adjacent substation, where
a power transformer increases the voltage.
The high-voltage electricity is then fed into
transmission lines for distribution.
Environmental controls
When coal is burned in the boiler, fine particles
of ash are present in the flue gas. This fly ash is
collected in the precipitator and blown to the
ash collection hoppers where it can be loaded
onto trucks for sale or disposal.
The flue gas then enters the Selective Catalytic
Reduction (or SCR) boxes where nitrogen oxide
is removed.
The flue gas continues its environmental
journey with a pass through the scrubbers
that remove most sulfur dioxide. This process
produces gypsum that is marketed to concrete
plants and for agricultural uses.
The cleaned gases then exit the stack.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS:
POWERSOUTH’S SERVICE TERRITORY
AND GENERATION FLEET
• Low nitrogen oxide (NOx) burners
and selective catalytic reduction (SCR)
systems for additional NOx and mercury
removal
• Improvements to the existing flue
gas desulfurization (FGD) system
for improved sulfur dioxide (SO2)
control and gypsum production
• Electrostatic precipitators for air quality
preservation, preventing particulate
matter from entering the atmosphere
$300 MILLION INVESTED IN AIR QUALITY CONTROLS
An Air Quality Control project was completed at Plant Lowman in 2009, which included adding
new Selective Catalytic Reduction and JBR scrubber systems — making it one of the cleanest
coal-fired plants in the United States.
Coal: abundant and affordable
Coal is an abundant and affordable energy
resource that provides the reliable electricity
Americans depend upon. That’s why coal
comprises about 44 percent of PowerSouth’s
energy sources.
Just as modern life is unimaginable without
electricity, so is the idea that our nation could
meet our growing energy needs without coal.
In fact, coal has provided almost half of
America’s electricity generation over the last
decade — or about twice as much as the next
largest fuel.
More than a quarter of the world’s known
recoverable coal reserves are in America, and
the energy content of American coal exceeds
that of all the oil in the Middle East.
Coal can provide affordable electricity for
decades to come. At the current rate of
consumption, coal can meet domestic
demand for more than 200 years.
Coal
Charles R. Lowman Power Plant, Leroy, Alabama
Natural gas
McIntosh Power Plant, McIntosh, Alabama
Maury A. McWilliams Power Plant, Gantt, Alabama
James A. Vann Power Plant, Gantt, Alabama
Hydroelectric
Gantt Hydroelectric Dam, Gantt, Alabama
Point A Hydroelectric Dam, Gantt, Alabama
Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES)
McIntosh Power Plant, McIntosh, Alabama
TO FIND OUT MORE:
Visit
www.powersouth.com for additional information
about PowerSouth and the Lowman Power Plant.
2027 East Three Notch Street • Andalusia, AL 36421
(334) 427-3000
www.powersouth.com