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The Montour power plant makes electricity by burning coal, our nation’s most abundant energy source. Burning coal produces steam that turns a turbine that spins a generator to make electricity.
It starts with coal. The Montour plant burns more than 3 million tons of coal per year. Coal is crushed into a fine powder and burned in two large boilers, where water is heated to make steam.
The steam passes through turbines. Each turbine has rings of fan-like metal blades. As steam passes over the blades, the turbines turn very fast.
The turbines have a central metal shaft that is connected to a generator, where an electromagnet spins inside a ring of copper wire to produce electricity.
When the steam has done its work, it is cooled to again become water, which is pumped back to the boiler to begin the cycle all over again.
The main source of water for cooling is a 12-mile pipeline that draws water from the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. The 165-acre Lake Chillisquaque, located near the plant, is a backup source of water for cooling. | | 
Scrubbers are environmental controls that remove nearly all of the sulfur dioxide from the emissions of coal-fired power plants.
They work by spraying a mixture of crushed limestone and water onto the exhaust gas before it goes out the plant’s chimney. The limestone and water react with the sulfur in the plant’s exhaust to form synthetic gypsum, which is collected and shipped to a drywall manufacturing facility immediately across the road from the power plant.
Scrubbers remove about 100,000 tons of sulfur dioxide per year from emissions at Montour. Sulfur dioxide contributes to acid rain and respiratory problems.
In addition to improving air quality, the scrubbers enable the Montour plant to operate for many years to come. | |
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“The Nature Notebook,” a weekly radio feature by PPL senior naturalist Jon Beam, airs Sundays at 4:57 p.m. on WVIA, the National Public Radio affiliate serving northeastern and central Pennsylvania.
A joint venture between PPL and WVIA, “The Nature Notebook” series examines both subtle and obvious changes that occur in nature throughout the year.
Listen to “The Nature Notebook” on 89.9 FM in northeastern Pennsylvania, 94.3 FM in Stroudsburg, 99.3 FM in Allentown, 100.5 FM in Lewisburg, 105.7 FM in Sunbury, 99.7 FM in Mainesburg, 89.7 FM in Williamsport, 90.3 FM in Clarks Summit, 105.7 FM in Bethlehem and 94.9 FM in Pottsville.
Click here to access previous "The Nature Notebook" segments.
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Get green at PPL’s Montour Environmental Preserve
If you have considered energy conservation or alternative sources of energy but don’t know where to start, then learn about some options during the Getting Greener Energy Forum from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at PPL’s Montour Environmental Preserve.
The forum will feature information and displays about wind and solar power, government incentives, LED lighting technology, energy conservation and more. Come any time and stay for as long as you’d like.
This free program will take place in the Environmental Education Center. For more information, contact the preserve at 570-437-3131 or jdbeam@pplweb.com. PPL operates the preserve, about four miles northeast of Washingtonville, in conjunction with its Montour power plant in Derry Township.
At our environmental preserves, PPL works to protect the land, care for endangered species and habitats, and provide public recreational facilities for people to learn about and enjoy nature’s beauty. For more information about PPL’s environmental preserves, visit www.pplpreserves.com. Or follow us on Twitter.
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Montour plant scrubber making a difference in air quality
About a year since going into service, the scrubber system at PPL’s Montour power plant is making a difference for the environment. Sulfur dioxide emissions at the Montour plant decreased by more than 85,000 tons in 2008 largely because the scrubbers began operating last spring.
Scrubbers remove nearly all of the sulfur dioxide from plant emissions. As a co-benefit, the scrubbers also reduce mercury and other materials — contributing to significant improvements in environmental performance.
The scrubbers and other environmental improvements at the Montour plant as well as PPL’s Brunner Island power plant in York County represent a combined $1.6 billion voluntary investment by PPL in environmental upgrades for its coal-fired power plants. The first of Brunner Island’s scrubbers went into operation in early May.
The scrubbers continue the progress PPL has made in reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from its power plants over the past two decades. |
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All of us who work at PPL’s Montour power are proud to celebrate the completion of our $600 million scrubber project. This project represents a significant improvement for the environment and a tremendous boost for the local economy.
The scrubbers remove more than 100,000 tons of sulfur dioxide from Montour plant emissions each year. With the scrubbers now in service, the Montour plant has the best environmental controls available today, and is among the cleanest coal-burning plants in the country.
The scrubbers have created 30 new jobs at the plant and 150 jobs at the adjacent U.S. Gypsum manufacturing facility, which will use synthetic gypsum, a byproduct of the scrubber process, to manufacture drywall at a $180 million facility that is built across the road from the power plant.
Our dedicated and skilled workforce of more than 280 people from nearby north central Pennsylvania communities knows the importance of this plant and keeps it running well. We generate more than 10 billion kilowatt-hours per year — enough electricity to supply 1 million typical homes. And the plant has achieved “Star” status in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Voluntary Protection Program, making it among the top workplaces in the country for worker safety.
If you’re in the Washingtonville, Pa., area I encourage you to visit our Montour Environmental Preserve, just a few miles from the plant. For more than 35 years, this beautiful preserve has been a valuable resource for fishing, boating, hiking, bird watching and educational programs for all ages. And we’re creating new recreational opportunities in nearby Madison Township.
Because our main purpose is to generate electricity, we're pleased that Montour is a model example of how an investment in existing facilities can be good for the environment, good for the economy and good for the community. | |
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Being a good neighbor is important to PPL and the Montour power plant.
In addition to the jobs that the plant provides, PPL has been involved in attracting jobs to the area, including the new drywall manufacturing facility that will use synthetic gypsum produced by the power plant's scrubbers.
PPL and its employees support many community and business organizations and are major contributors to the Danville Area United Way.
We also are involved with schools and education. Our Montour Environmental Preserve hosts many nature and environmental programs each year. | |
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