Grainger Generating Station
Map
Official nameDolphus M. Grainger Generating Station
CountryUnited States
LocationHorry County, South Carolina near Conway, South Carolina
Coordinates33°49′33″N 79°03′10″W / 33.82583°N 79.05278°W / 33.82583; -79.05278
StatusDecommissioned
Commission dateUnits 1–2: 1966
Decommission dateUnits 1–2: 2012
Owner(s)Central Electric Power Cooperative
Operator(s)Santee Cooper
Thermal power station
Primary fuelCoal
Cooling sourceLake Busbee
Power generation
Nameplate capacity170 MW
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The Dolphus M. Grainger Generating Station was a coal power plant located near Conway, South Carolina in Horry County, South Carolina. The plant closed in 2012. It was owned by Central Electric Power Cooperative and operated by Santee Cooper.

History

Grainger was constructed at a cost of $52 million and unit 1 began generating electricity in 1965 and unit 2 began operation in 1966.[1][2] The plant is named after Dolphus M. Grainger, a Horry County native who pushed for rural electrification.[1] The power plant had 2 units and had an operating capacity of 170 megawatts (MW).[2] Its cooling source came from the nearby Waccamaw River and outlet to Lake Busbee which was created for the power plant.[3] In 2004, Grainger along with several other coal plants owned by Santee Cooper were found to be in violation of the Clean Air Act. As a part of the settlement, Santee Cooper had to install LO-NOx burners to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions at Grainger.[4] Grainger was retired in October 2012 by Santee Cooper as it was too costly to comply with the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS).[2] After three years of decommissioning, demolition of Grainger's structure began in 2015.[5] Its two smokestacks were imploded using controlled demolition in February 2016.[6] Lake Busbee was drained and returned to its natural state as wetlands in 2018.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Strong, Willard (Spring 2009). "A Parade of Power" (PDF). PowerSource. p. 14. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Santee Cooper board authorizes retirements of Jefferies and Grainger generating units". The Summerville Journal Scene. October 19, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Blondin, Alan; Boschult, Christian (December 4, 2017). "Lake Busbee to return to wetlands, native species". The Sun News. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  4. ^ United States of America, et al. v. South Carolina Public Service Authority (D.S.C. March 16, 2004) ("South Carolina Public Service Authority (“Santee Cooper”), has undertaken construction projects at major emitting facilities in violation of the Prevention of Significant Deterioration provisions"), Text.
  5. ^ Wise, Warren L. (April 19, 2015). "Old Santee Cooper coal-fired plant will soon be history". The Post and Courier. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  6. ^ "Grainger Steam Plant smokestacks demolished". WPDE-TV. February 7, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
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