Plant Scherer
Coal-fired power station in Georgia, US
title: "Plant Scherer" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["towers-completed-in-1982", "towers-completed-in-1986", "towers-in-georgia-(u.s.-state)", "buildings-and-structures-in-monroe-county,-georgia", "coal-fired-power-stations-in-georgia-(u.s.-state)", "chimneys-in-the-united-states", "georgia-power", "nextera-energy", "1982-establishments-in-georgia-(u.s.-state)", "oglethorpe-power"] description: "Coal-fired power station in Georgia, US" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_Scherer" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Coal-fired power station in Georgia, US ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox power station"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Plant Scherer |
| name_official | Robert W. Scherer Electric Generating Plant |
| image | schererplant.jpg |
| country | United States |
| location | Monroe County, near Juliette, Georgia |
| coordinates | |
| operator | Georgia Power |
| owner | Oglethorpe Power (30%) |
| FPL (25.35%) | |
| Georgia Power (22.95%) | |
| MEAG (15.1%) | |
| JEA (5.9%) | |
| City of Dalton (0.7%) | |
| th_fuel_primary | Coal |
| ps_units_operational | 4 × 935 MW |
| ps_electrical_capacity | 3,740 MW |
| ps_electrical_cap_fac | 61.2% |
| commissioned | Unit 1: 1982 |
| Unit 2: 1984 | |
| Unit 3: 1987 | |
| Unit 4: 1989 | |
| decommissioned | Unit 3: 2035 (planned) |
| :: |
| name = Plant Scherer | name_official = Robert W. Scherer Electric Generating Plant | image = schererplant.jpg | image_caption = | country = United States | location = Monroe County, near Juliette, Georgia | coordinates = | operator = Georgia Power | owner = Oglethorpe Power (30%) FPL (25.35%) Georgia Power (22.95%) MEAG (15.1%) JEA (5.9%) City of Dalton (0.7%) | th_fuel_primary = Coal | th_combined_cycle = | ps_units_operational = 4 × 935 MW | ps_electrical_capacity = 3,740 MW | ps_electrical_cap_fac = 61.2% | commissioned = Unit 1: 1982 Unit 2: 1984 Unit 3: 1987 Unit 4: 1989 | decommissioned = Unit 3: 2035 (planned)
The Robert W. Scherer Power Plant (also known as Plant Scherer) is a coal-fired power plant in Juliette, Georgia, just north of Macon, Georgia, in the United States. The plant has four generating units, each capable of producing 935 megawatts, and is the most powerful coal-fired plant in North America. The plant is named after the former chairman and chief executive officer of Georgia Power.
Description
Each generating unit has a rated capacity of 945 megawatts, but produces 880 MW. The first unit was brought online in 1982. Additional units were brought online in 1984, 1987, and 1989.
It has two 1001 ft chimney stacks, one built in 1982 and the second in 1986. Based on data , Plant Scherer is the fourth-largest electric generating plant in the United States, the largest to be fueled exclusively by coal, and the number one emitter of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S., at over 20000000 ST per year.
The plant's location is along the flight path of many commercial airline flights using Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta, and is a prominent feature on the landscape, easily visible during daylight flights.
It was announced in June 2020 that Scherer would shut down Unit 4 by 2022 under an agreement reached by Florida Power & Light and the Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA). In November 2021, Georgia Power announced that Unit 3 would also close, this time by year 2025; however, the company reversed that decision in 2022, extending the shut down date for unit 3 until at least 2028, and announced plans in January 2025 to extend the lifetime of the unit until 2038.
Operator and ownership
The plant is operated by Georgia Power, a subsidiary of the Southern Company, |title=Highest CO2 Emitting Power Plants in the World |location=Washington, DC |publisher=Carbon Monitoring for Action (CARMA) |url=http://carma.org/plant |access-date= April 12, 2013 along with Oglethorpe Power Corporation, the city of Dalton, Georgia; NextEra Energy (through subsidiary Florida Power & Light); JEA of Jacksonville, Florida; and the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia. |title=Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG) Power Generation Facilities |url=http://www.meagpower.org/PowerGeneration/Facilities/tabid/70/Default.aspx |publisher=Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG) |access-date=April 12, 2013
::data[format=table]
| Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| OPC | 60.0% | 60.0% | — |
| Georgia Power | 8.4% | 8.4% | 75.0% |
| FPL | — | — | 25.0% |
| MEAG | 30.2% | 30.2% | — |
| JEA | — | — | — |
| City of Dalton | 1.4% | 1.4% | — |
| :: |
Coal trains
The coal used at the Scherer plant comes from Wyoming's Powder River Basin, and is delivered by Norfolk Southern to the plant by BNSF unit trains of up to 135 cars. Currently, at least two and as many as five trains a day are unloaded at Plant Scherer. The trains use a hydraulic dump system and are unloaded from the bottom of the cars while passing over the unloading trestle. They do not stop while unloading, and are usually unloaded in around 90 minutes. Train ID numbers are usually NS 732-739. Trains get on Memphis District via BNSF and on Atlanta District in Chattanooga.
Emissions
As of August 2012, Plant Scherer is under Georgia EPD investigation for coal ash pond leeching / drinking water contamination and air pollution / air quality. According to Natural History magazine, Plant Scherer is the largest single point-source for carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. |url = http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/0506/0506_feature.html |title = Feature |journal = Natural History |date = 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081201164130/http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/0506/0506_feature.html |archive-date = December 1, 2008 |url=http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-11/cfgd-crc111207.php |date=November 14, 2007 |first=Lawrence |last=MacDonald |title=Center for Global Development CGD ranks CO2 emissions from power plants worldwide |access-date=April 12, 2013
Regulatory policies and institutions
Since 2009 Lisa Jackson, Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed controversial rules and regulations which include the Utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology rule and the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. |url=http://www.thecitizen.com/blogs/lynn-westmoreland/09-27-2011/epa-puts-screws-power-plants |publisher=The Citizen |title=The EPA puts the screws to power plants |date=September 27, 2011 |first=Lynn |last=Westmoreland (Republican Member of Congress)
In 2011 Southern Company awarded KBR the contract for the installation of Plant Scherer's environmental compliance equipment, which included installation of flue-gas desulfurization and selective catalytic reduction equipment, related ductwork, and auxiliaries at two coal-fired units. |url=http://www.kbr.com/Newsroom/Press-Releases/2011/08/15/KBR-to-Execute-Equipment-Installation-at-One-of-the-Nations-Largest-Power-Generating-Stations/ |title=KBR to Execute Equipment Installation at One of the Nation's Largest Power Generating Stations |publisher=KBR |location=Houston, Texas |date=August 15, 2011
As of 2010, KBR, Haliburton and other contractors had constructed two additional 847 ft tall steam stacks for the Flue-Gas Desulfurization/scrubber.
Notes
References
References
Unit 4: 2022[https://news.wjct.org/post/jea-approves-plan-close-unit-plant-scherer-1-nation-s-biggest-carbon-emitters JEA Approves Plan To Close Unit At Plant Scherer, 1 Of Nation’s Biggest Carbon Emitters]- "Robert W Scherer Power Plant". Georgia Power.
- "Electricity in the United States - Energy Explained, Your Guide To Understanding Energy - Energy Information Administration".
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120113221204/http://ghgdata.epa.gov/ghgp/main.do Source: EPA]
- Proctor, Darrell. (June 29, 2020). "Unit at Largest U.S. Coal Plant Will Close". Power Magazine.
- Swartz, Kristi. (November 5, 2021). "Nation's 3rd-largest utility to shut down half of coal fleet". E&E News.
- (February 1, 2022). "Georgia Power plan confirms move from coal to renewables".
- "2025 Integrated Resource Plan".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::