Prairie State Energy Campus represents an important step in helping to create a sustainable and secure energy future for this country. It utilizes domestic coal resources and deploys clean generation technologies to produce electricity in a more efficient and environmentally friendly manner.Located in Washington County, Illinois, Prairie State Energy Campus includes a coal-fired generating plant and adjacent coal mine. The facility generates 1,600 MWs of power, with 100 percent of the output dedicated to nine Midwestern-based public power utilities.The Prairie State Energy Campus is a technologically advanced electric generation facility, owned by nine non-profit utilities that are committed to providing clean, reliable and affordable base-load power to hundreds of local communities in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Its combined design efficiencies mean Prairie State will significantly improve our industry's environmental profile by replacing existing, less-efficient power plants.The cooperatives and public power companies that own Prairie State are accountable to the consumers and local governments they serve. These utilities are already engaged in renewable energy projects and effective energy efficiency programs.
Prairie State promises to be among the cleanest major coal-fueled plants in the nation, using an innovative application of technologies. The plant uses pulverized coal technology, where coal is ground to about the consistency of talcum powder and used as fuel for a boiler to heat water and produce steam. The steam drives a turbine, which in turn, drives an electrical generator, sending electricity throughout the grid to Midwest families and businesses. Clean electricity is generated by using five technologies that include:
- Nitrogen oxide controls
- Selective catalytic reduction
- Dry electrostatic precipitators
- Sulfur dioxide scrubbers
- Wet electrostatic precipitators
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