Rockport Generating Station

Rockport Generating Station is a coal-fired power plant, located along the Ohio River in Ohio Township, Spencer County, Indiana, in the United States, near Rockport. The power plant is located along U.S. Route 231 (segment known as the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Parkway), approximately one mile (1.6 km) north of the William H. Natcher Bridge, spanning the Ohio River. It is operated by Indiana Michigan Power, a subsidiary of American Electric Power.

Rockport Generating Station
Rockport Generating Station as seen from near the Natcher Bridge
Country	United States
Location	Ohio Township, Spencer County, Indiana
Coordinates	37°55′32″N 87°02′02″W
Status	Operational
Commission date	Unit 1: December 1984 Unit 2: December 1988
Decommission date	Unit 1: 2028 (planned) Unit 2: 2028 (planned)
Owner	Indiana-Michigan Power
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Sub-bituminous coal
Turbine technology	Steam turbine
Cooling towers	2 × Natural Draft
Cooling source	Ohio River
Power generation
Units operational	2 × 1300 MW
Nameplate capacity	2600 MW
Capacity factor	48.0% (2017)
Annual net output	10,923 GWh (2017) [1]

History

Two identical non-cyclonic Babcock & Wilcox units (1,300 MW each^[2]) were launched into service in December 1984 and December 1988. They are among the largest coal units built. The plant is connected to the grid by 765 kilovolt transmission lines (the highest rated voltage used in the United States).^[3] The power plant features the tallest smokestack in Indiana, and is one of the tallest smokestacks in the world at 1,038 feet (316.4 m).^[4]

Coal supply

The coal is delivered to the plant by barges along the Ohio River.^{[citation needed]} The plant burns in excess of seven million short tons of coal a year. To minimize cost, AEP announced in February 2018 that Rockport will rely solely on coal from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming.^[5]

Retirement

In July 2019, AEP announced that Rockport's Unit 1 will retire by the end of 2028. This was made in an agreement modification between AEP, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), several northeastern states, the Sierra Club, and other parties. The agreement allows AEP to achieve emission reduction goals while also shutting down Unit 1 without adding costly pollution control systems.^[6][7]

In April, 2021 AEP announced that Rockport's Unit 2 will also be retired by the end of 2028. ^[8]

See also

• Indiana portal
• Energy portal

• List of largest power stations in the United States
• List of power stations in Indiana
• List of tallest chimneys in the world