Muskingum River Power Plant
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| Muskingum River Power Plant | |
|---|---|
 Unit 5 of Muskingum River Power Plant in the background in 2010 | |
 | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Waterford Township, Washington County, near Beverly, Ohio |
| Coordinates | 39°35′18″N 81°40′57″W / 39.58833°N 81.68250°W |
| Status | Demolished |
| Commission date | Unit 1: December 1953 Unit 2: June 1954 Unit 3: December 1957 Unit 4: May 1958 Unit 5: October 1968 |
| Decommission date | Units 1–4: December 2014 Unit 5: May 2015 |
| Owner | American Electric Power (AEP) |
| Operator | American Electric Power (AEP) |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Bituminous coal |
| Turbine technology | Steam turbine |
| Cooling source | Units 1–4: Muskingum River Unit 5: cooling tower |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity | 1,529 MW |
Muskingum River Power Plant was a 1.5-gigawatt (1,529 MW) coal power plant, owned and operated by American Electric Power (AEP). It was located on the west bank of Muskingum River, about 4 miles (6 km) northwest of the town of Beverly, Ohio in Washington County, Ohio. At its peak, the plant powered three million households.[1] The plant operated from 1953 until ceasing generation in 2015.
Four out of five plant's units were among the oldest in the United States:[2]
| Unit | Nameplate capacity (MWe) | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 219.6 | 1953 | 2014 | |
| 2 | 219.6 | 1954 | 2014 | |
| 3 | 237.5 | 1957 | 2014 | |
| 4 | 237.5 | 1958 | 2014 | |
| 5 | 615.2 | 1968 | 2015 | Supercritical unit, used closed-loop water cooling via a cooling tower |
Units 1–4 discharged their waste heat (about twice their combined electrical output) into Muskingum River.
Closure and demolition
As a cost-cutting measure, AEP idled one of the units at Muskingum River in 2010.[3]
Originally slated to be converted to run on natural gas, Muskingum River closed entirely due to environmental regulations and market conditions at a cost of $150 million to $170 million.[1] Ohio's power consumption was noted as being "flat." The original proposal called for Units 1–4 to be shuttered by December 31, 2014, and Unit 5 to be converted to natural gas.[1][4] Unit 5 closed on May 31, 2015, with 150 workers laid off.[5]
AEP sold the site to Commercial Liability Partners in September 2015 to repurpose the brownfields for future redevelopment.[6] Adamo was contracted to demolish the Muskingum River.[7] Demolition was completed in June 2018 following the implosion of the plant's remaining two smokestacks.[8] In January 2021, the site was sold to the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority, who is continuing the repurposing and redevelopment process.
