Fossil-fired plants account for approximately 45 percent of SCE&G's electric generation capacity. For detailed information on a specific fossil-fired plant, select one of the power plants below.
Facts About Fossil-fired Plants
- Fossil plants are the most common type of power plant.
- Two-thirds of SCE&G's electricity comes from fossil plants.
- Steam is used to turn a fossil plant's large turbines.
- Steam is created by one of the three most common fossil fuels -- natural gas, oil, or coal.
- Coal is the most common fossil fuel used, and is usually hauled in by train.
How A Fossil-fired Plant Works
- Coal, ground into a fine powder, is burned inside a boiler producing steam.
- Steam spins blades on the turbine which turns the generator producing electricity.
- Steam is cooled in a condenser by water from a nearby river or lake. The cooled steam, now water, returns to the boiler and the cycle is repeated.
- At the larger power plants, the water used to condense the steam is sent to cooling towers for cooling before being used again.
- The cooling water returns to the lake or river. The water goes through cooling towers before reentering a river. This prevents environmental problems that could occur from warming the river.
- Recent advancements in clean air technology have been put in to reduce plant emissions.
Environmental Upgrades Reduce Emissions
The following charts show the annual emissions reductions from 1995-2010 as a result of environmental upgrades at SCE&G's fossil-fired plants.