"COAL HEARTED" roland smith

As most of you by now must realize I place little in the future in coal power plants. They will go by the way as the steam locomotive went. Not even having anything to do with the environment the diesel-electric locomotives just were more cost effective. Nostalgic steam engines are nice to watch but there cost make them prohibitive in day to day service. Into the 50's railroads tried new idea's like steam turbine engines, the S-2 Pennsylvania Railroad and Jaw Henry of the Norfolk & Western Railroad . Both failed Diesels had conquered the rails.

Now the United States has been called the Saudi Arabia of coal but for numerous reasons the world will very be soon leaving the coal age. Just like the railroads did the transformation  took almost less than 20 years.

But, some persist. "clean coal" is the mantra. We have been talking about clean coal for over 100 years yet no such animal exists. Clean Coal is in the same vein as Family Friendly Pornography it doesn't exist. Still Peabody and other coal producers continue the myth. Peabody even now claims no future for this TIG power plant. Guess they got all their suckers  tied up in Prairie State Energy Campus.

Now in Mississippi  Southern Corporation is presently building a "Transport Integrated Gasified" power plant that turns coal into a gas. This new plant was supposed to cost 1.8 billion that has now reached the price of over 5.6 billion plus it will take 20% more energy to produce power. This plant takes 65% of the CO2 gases  and buries it in the ground.
Now is it going to be the "Tree Hugger's" that will kill this and other plants like Kemper? No, just like the railroads it will be the economics of the industry. Cost to produce this power will cost $6,000 a megawatt at the Kemper Power Plant as opposed to a modern natural gas plant producing the same amount of power for a $1000 a megawatt.
To those who would claim the government subsidizes wind and solar, well Kemper has already received over  $270 million in tax credits. People who will receive this power are already paying an 18% increase in their electric bill and haven't received a thing. Sound familiar?

The final irony of Paducah Power is to listen to both candidates running for a Senate seat claiming Kentucky is "Coal Country" then why in God's name are you buying power from an Illinois  power plant using Illinois coal?
Like it or not sorry "Coal is Dead".

************************************************************************

Something I left out in Monday's council meeting. Clerk of Council Tara Diehl mention a work session for the Finance Committee on October 16, at 5:00 pm dealing with sewers? This is Painesville speak, for council is getting ready to raise your sewer rates. NOT storm sewer rates those will go up $2.75 a month in January. No these are the sewer rates you pay under your water bill on your utility bill. How much? No idea but I see at least a 10% increase, maybe more. Why and when did this come to light? Take it from a grumpy, senile old man. Live and Learn, people.