Dickerson Generating Station
Encyclopedia
The Dickerson Generating Station is a 853 MW electric generating
plant owned by GenOn (formerly Mirant Services LLC
), located approximately two miles west of Dickerson, Maryland
.
-fired steam generating
plants, two 147 MW gas and oil-fired simple cycle combustion turbine
s, and one 13 MW black start
and peaking
turbine. The three coal-fired units are base-loaded and went into operation in 1959, 1960, and 1962 respectively. Condenser cooling for these units is accomplished with once-through cooling water from the Potomac River
at a rate of up to 400 million USgals (1,514,164.8 m³) per day. Coal is delivered to the Dickerson Generating Station by CSX Transportation
train. The two combustion turbines are General Electric
Frame 7F gas turbine
s which went into operation in 1992 and 1993, and are normally fired with natural gas
from a Consolidated Natural Gas company pipeline
which traverses the Dickerson site.
The generation plant's site property abuts the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
, which follows along the Potomac River. The C&O Canal
structures nearest to the plant are Lock 27 and the Monocacy Aqueduct
.
plant which burns municipal garbage
and waste, is located next to the Dickerson Generating Station. This waste-to-energy
plant is also served by the CSX railroad line, which delivers trash from a central collection center in Derwood
to the plant. The Montgomery County Resource Recovery Facility is operated by the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority, a state-owned corporation
.
, which sold them to the Southern Company
in December 2000 as a result of the restructuring of the electricity generating industry in Maryland
. The station was included in the spin-off from the Southern Company of Mirant in April 2001, which has since operated and maintained the plant.
In 1991, the 900 feet (274.3 m)-long cooling water discharge channel from the power plant
, which empties into the Potomac River, became the Dickerson Whitewater Course
, a canoe and kayak training facility for the 1992 Olympic Games
.
The Montgomery County Resource Recovery Facility began operations in 1995.
regional transmission organization
.
Electricity generation
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric energy from other forms of energy.The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday...
plant owned by GenOn (formerly Mirant Services LLC
Mirant
Mirant Corporation, an Atlanta-based energy company, produces and sells electricity in the United States. The company was spun off from its former parent, Southern Company, on April 2, 2001...
), located approximately two miles west of Dickerson, Maryland
Dickerson, Maryland
Dickerson is an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located on Maryland Route 28, between Sugarloaf Mountain and the Potomac River. It is a community situated near the town of Poolesville, Maryland. Dickerson is .-History of Dickerson:...
.
Description
The facility consists of three 182 MW coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
-fired steam generating
Thermal power station
A thermal power station is a power plant in which the prime mover is steam driven. Water is heated, turns into steam and spins a steam turbine which drives an electrical generator. After it passes through the turbine, the steam is condensed in a condenser and recycled to where it was heated; this...
plants, two 147 MW gas and oil-fired simple cycle combustion turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
s, and one 13 MW black start
Black start
A black start is the process of restoring a power station to operation without relying on the external electric power transmission network.Normally, the electric power used within the plant is provided from the station's own generators...
and peaking
Peaking power plant
Peaking power plants, also known as peaker plants, and occasionally just "peakers," are power plants that generally run only when there is a high demand, known as peak demand, for electricity.-Peak hours:...
turbine. The three coal-fired units are base-loaded and went into operation in 1959, 1960, and 1962 respectively. Condenser cooling for these units is accomplished with once-through cooling water from the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
at a rate of up to 400 million USgals (1,514,164.8 m³) per day. Coal is delivered to the Dickerson Generating Station by CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
train. The two combustion turbines are General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
Frame 7F gas turbine
Gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
s which went into operation in 1992 and 1993, and are normally fired with natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
from a Consolidated Natural Gas company pipeline
Pipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
which traverses the Dickerson site.
The generation plant's site property abuts the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in the District of Columbia and the states of Maryland and West Virginia. The park was established as a National Monument in 1961 by President Dwight D...
, which follows along the Potomac River. The C&O Canal
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal, and occasionally referred to as the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 parallel to the Potomac River in Maryland from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington, D.C. The total length of the canal is about . The elevation change of...
structures nearest to the plant are Lock 27 and the Monocacy Aqueduct
Monocacy Aqueduct
The Monocacy Aqueduct — or C&O Canal Aqueduct No. 2 — is the largest aqueduct on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, crossing the Monocacy River just before it empties into the Potomac River in Frederick County, Maryland, USA...
.
Montgomery County Resource Recovery Facility
The Montgomery County Resource Recovery Facility, a 56 MW generating incinerationIncineration
Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances contained in waste materials. Incineration and other high temperature waste treatment systems are described as "thermal treatment". Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into ash, flue gas, and...
plant which burns municipal garbage
Waste
Waste is unwanted or useless materials. In biology, waste is any of the many unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from living organisms, metabolic waste; such as urea, sweat or feces. Litter is waste which has been disposed of improperly...
and waste, is located next to the Dickerson Generating Station. This waste-to-energy
Waste-to-energy
Waste-to-energy or energy-from-waste is the process of creating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the incineration of waste source. WtE is a form of energy recovery...
plant is also served by the CSX railroad line, which delivers trash from a central collection center in Derwood
Derwood, Maryland
Derwood is an unincorporated area of about 15,600 people in east-central Montgomery County, Maryland. It is a relatively dense area. It lies just east of Rockville, south east of Gaithersburg, south west of Olney, and north west of the greater Silver Spring, Maryland area. Residents of Derwood...
to the plant. The Montgomery County Resource Recovery Facility is operated by the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority, a state-owned corporation
Government-owned corporation
A government-owned corporation, state-owned company, state-owned entity, state enterprise, publicly owned corporation, government business enterprise, or parastatal is a legal entity created by a government to undertake commercial activities on behalf of an owner government...
.
History
The Dickerson plant began service in 1959. All of the generating plants at the Dickerson Generating Station were built by the Potomac Electric Power CompanyPotomac Electric Power Company
The Potomac Electric Power Company, known as Pepco, is a public utility supplying electric power to the city of Washington, D.C., and to surrounding communities in Maryland...
, which sold them to the Southern Company
Southern Company
Southern Company is a public utility holding company of primarily electric utilities in the southern United States. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with executive offices also located in Birmingham, Alabama. The company is currently the 16th largest utility company in the world and the...
in December 2000 as a result of the restructuring of the electricity generating industry in Maryland
Maryland Electric Deregulation
Maryland Electric Deregulation is the result of a bill passed in 1999 by the Maryland General Assembly. This bill changed the entire face of the Maryland utility industry.The past several years have seen a flurry of changes in the energy industry in Maryland...
. The station was included in the spin-off from the Southern Company of Mirant in April 2001, which has since operated and maintained the plant.
In 1991, the 900 feet (274.3 m)-long cooling water discharge channel from the power plant
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
, which empties into the Potomac River, became the Dickerson Whitewater Course
Dickerson Whitewater Course
The Dickerson Whitewater Course, on the Potomac River near Dickerson Maryland, was built for use by canoe and kayak paddlers training for the 1992 Olympic Games in Spain. It was the first pump-powered artificial whitewater course built in North America, and is still the only one anywhere with...
, a canoe and kayak training facility for the 1992 Olympic Games
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
.
The Montgomery County Resource Recovery Facility began operations in 1995.
Operations
Mirant operates the coal-fired units as base load generation and the combustion turbines as peaking generation. The Dickerson Generating Station is dispatched by the PJM InterconnectionPJM Interconnection
PJM Interconnection LLC is a Regional Transmission Organization which is part of the Eastern Interconnection grid operating an electric transmission system serving all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee,...
regional transmission organization
Regional Transmission Organization
A regional transmission organization in the United States is an organization that is responsible for moving electricity over large interstate areas. Like a transmission system operator , an RTO coordinates, controls and monitors an electricity transmission grid that is larger with much higher...
.