POWER February 2013 - 8

First U.S.
Ultrasupercritical Power
Plant in Operation
The U.S. saw the historic start of operations
at its first ultrasupercritical coal-fired
power plant last December as Southwestern
Electric Power Co.'s (SWEPCO's) 600MW
John W. Turk, Jr. Power Plant switched
on in Arkansas. The much-watched $1.8
billion project operates above supercritical
pressure and at advanced steam temperatures
above 593C (1,100F), allowing
it to employ a more efficient steam cycle
that tamps down fuel consumption by 13%
compared to a subcritical boiler-as well
as reducing reagent consumption, solid
waste, water use, and operating costs.
When construction of the Turk plant
(Figure 1) on a 2,800-acre tract between
Fulton and McNab in Hempstead County,
Ark., began in November 2008, the project
was hailed for embodying the future of
American coal power. It also had its roots
in past achievements of American coal
units, as SWEPCO, an American Electric
Power (AEP) subsidiary and 73% owner of
the plant, notes.
Early supercritical units at AEP's Philo
Unit 6 in Ohio (the world's first supercritical
unit, which operated from 1957
to 1975) and Philadelphia Electric Eddystone
Unit 1 had previously (and successfully)
operated at ultrasupercritical
levels, but due to the unavailability of
metals that could tolerate these extreme
temperatures, operation at those levels
could not be sustained. But although improved
materials are now readily available,
no other ultrasupercritical coal plants are
in the pipeline in the U.S. They are being
shunned by power and engineering companies
for the technology's high costs and
the environment of regulatory uncertainty
surrounding coal.
And like other coal projects under way
in the U.S., the Turk project's progress was
pocked by several mishaps, including legal
challenges by environmental groups the
Sierra Club, the National Audubon Society,
and Audubon Arkansas. It even received
bomb threats. The litigation played out
in a high-profile public battle for nearly
four years, until December 2011, when a
key settlement was reached that required
SWEPCO, among other things, to phase out
a 528-MW coal-fired unit in Texas, build
400 MW of renewable power, and not build
any new generating units at the Turk site
(and within a 30-mile radius) as long as
8
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POWER | February 2013
the Turk Plant is operational. The settlement
cost SWEPCO $10 million, which it
agreed to contribute to support land conservation
and clean energy in Arkansas, as
well as $2 million in attorney fee reimbursements
to the environmental groups.
SWEPCO also agreed, in return for a resolution
of all environmentally based legal
challenges, to combust only coal from the
Powder River Basin in Wyoming or subbituminous
coal with similar low-sulfur
characteristics.
Turk may be unique in the U.S., but it
is just one of dozens of new ultrasupercritical
pulverized coal plants that have
cropped up in recent years around the
world. The International Energy Agency's
(IEA's) December 2012-released " Technology
Roadmap: High-Efficiency, LowEmissions
Coal-Fired Power Generation "
report finds that in 2011, about 50% of
new coal-fired power plants used mostly
supercritical and ultrasupercritical coal
units, a share that doubled in the past decade.
Ultrasupercritical plants are already
operational in Japan, South Korea, Italy,
Germany, and China (Figure 2). China is
notably spearheading the ultrasupercritical
revolution: As of 2011, it had 116 GW
of 600-MWe ultrasupercritical units and
1. A young Turk. Southwestern Electric Power Co.'s (SWEPCO's) 600-MW John W. Turk, Jr.
Power Plant between Fulton and McNab in Hempstead County, Ark., began operating last December,
making it the first ultrasupercritical pulverized coal plant in the U.S. Courtesy: SWEPCO
2. Leading the world. The share of supercritical and ultrasupercritical capacity is highest
in a handful of countries such as Japan and South Korea, where supercritical technology was
adopted before 2000, the International Energy Agency says in a new report. Driven by fuel
supply concerns and immense power needs, China's share of supercritical and ultrasupercritical
capacity and India's share of supercritical capacity have also grown tremendously. Source:
Technology Roadmap: High-Efficiency, Low-Emissions Coal-Fired Power Generation © OECD/
IEA 2012, Figure 5, p.11
Share of supercritical and ultrasupercritical (%)

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POWER February 2013

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