Gibson Generating Station - Coal Power Plant
7:16 AM
The Gibson Generating Station is a coal-burning power plant located in Gibson County, Indiana, United States. It is close to the Wabash River, just opposite Mount Carmel, Illinois. With a 2003 aggregate capacity among its five units of 3,145 megawatts, it is the largest power plant run by Duke Energy, the third-largest coal power plant in the world, and the ninth-largest electrical plant in the United States, and with the closure of Nanticoke Generating Station in 2014, will become the largest coal power plant in North America by generated power. Also on the grounds of the facility is a 3,000 acres (12 km2) large man-made lake called Gibson Lake which is used as a cooling pond for the plant. Neighboring the plant is a Duke-owned, publicly-accessible access point to the Wabash River near a small island that acts as a wildlife preserve. This is the nearest boat-ramp to Mount Carmel on the Indiana side of the river. Located immediately south of Gibson Lake, the plant's cooling pond, is the Cane Ridge NWR, the newest unit of the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area. Opened in August 2006, this 26-acre (110,000 m2) area serves as a nesting ground for the Least Tern, a rare bird. Cane Ridge NWR is reportedly the easternmost nesting ground for the bird in the U.S. The Gibson Generating Station is connected to the power grid via five 345 KV and one 138 KV transmission lines to 79 Indiana counties including the Indianapolis area. Soon there will be a sixth 345 KV line running from GGS to Evansville, owned by Vectren.
| Unit 1 Fully Owned | Unit 2 Fully Owned | Unit 3 Fully Owned | Unit 4 Fully Owned | Unit 5 Franchised | Plant-Wide | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Maximum Power Output (MW) | 635 | 630 | 630 | 630 | 620 | 3,145MW |
| 2009 Output MW Summer/Winter Spring/Fall | 750 725 | 750 730 | 750 690 | 750 730 | 750 735 | 3,750MW 3,610MW |
| Completion Overhauled | 1974 2007 | 1975 2007 | 1977 2005 | 1978 2009 | 1982 2008 | Ongoing Construction and Maintenance in two periods: Fall Outage and Spring Outage. Construction & Maintenance rotates among the five units with short periods as needed. |
| Ownership | Duke Energy 100% | Duke Energy 100% | Duke Energy 100% | Duke Energy 100% | Duke Energy 51% Wabash Vly. P.A. 24.5% Indiana Mun. P. A. 24.5% | Duke Energy 90.3% W.V.P.A. 4.87% I.M.P.A. 4.87% |
| Gibson Generating Station | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Owensville, Indiana |
| Status | Active |
| Commission date | 1971-82 under Public Service Indiana |
| Decommission date | none |
| Owner(s) | Duke Energy Indiana (2006–present) Cinergy (1995–2006) Public Service Indiana (1971–1995) |
| Employees | 900-1,200 (420 Duke Energy, 480–780 contractors, including security) |
| Primary fuel | Pulverized coal |
| Technology | Steam Turbine |
| Generation units | 5 General Electric 670 MW turbines |
| Reciprocating engines | 5 FW Coal Pulverized-Once Through Supercritical Boilers |
| Mine type | Underground/Undercut |
| Conveyance | Railroad/Coal Truck |
| Cooling water | Gibson Lake |
| Power generation information | |
| Installed capacity | 3340 MWe (nameplate) |
| Maximum capacity | 3157 MWe (winter |
