Beckjord Power Station

The Walter C. Beckjord Generating Station was a 1.43-gigawatt (1,433 MW), dual-fuel power generating station located near New Richmond, Ohio, 22 miles east of Cincinnati, Ohio. The plant began operation in 1952 and was decommissioned in 2014. It was jointly owned by Duke Energy, American Electric Power (AEP), and Dayton Power & Light (DP&L).^[1]

Beckjord Generating Station
Country	United States
Location	Pierce Township, Clermont County, near New Richmond, Ohio
Coordinates	38°59′31.5″N 84°17′50″W
Status	Decommissioned
Commission date	Unit 1: 1952 Unit 2: 1953 Unit 3: 1954 Unit 4: 1958 Unit 5: 1962 Unit 6: 1969 Units GT1–GT4: 1972
Decommission date	Unit 1: 2012 Units 2–3: 2013 Units 4–6: 2014 Units GT1–GT4: 2014
Owners	Duke Energy American Electric Power Dayton Power & Light
Operator	Duke Energy
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Coal Oil
Cooling source	Ohio River
Power generation
Nameplate capacity	1,433 MW

Background

Of the two Beckjord power plants, one was coal-fired (Units 1–6) and the other was oil-fired (Units GT1–GT4).^[2][3] It was originally built by Cincinnati Gas & Electric Company (CG&E), which was bought by Duke Energy in 2006. The plant is named after Walter C. Beckjord, the chairman of CG&E from 1957 to 1962.^[4] CG&E installed new electrostatic precipitators at Beckjord in the 1970s to reduce pollution mandated by the State of Ohio.^[5]

W. C. Beckjord Power Station^[6]

Unit	Nameplate capacity, MW	Initial year of operation	Retired [7][8]
Coal-Fired Unit 1	115.0	1952	2012
Coal-Fired Unit 2	112.5	1953	2013
Coal-Fired Unit 3	125.0	1954	2013
Coal-Fired Unit 4	163.2	1958	2014
Coal-Fired Unit 5	244.8	1962	2014
Coal-Fired Unit 6	460.8	1969	2014
Coal-Fired Total	1,221.3	–	–
Oil-Fired Units GT1–GT4	52.9 (each)	1972	2014
Oil-Fired Total	211.6	–	–
Facility Total	1,433	–	–

Closure and decommissioning

In July 2011, Duke Energy announced that Beckjord would shut down in January 2015 because of tightening environmental regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) outweighed the benefits of retrofitting the plant.^[9] The shut down was accelerated to November 2014 after an open valve caused an oil spill into the Ohio River the previous August.^[4][10] Duke Energy pleaded guilty in federal court in 2016 for spilling 9,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the Ohio River. The company was fined $1 million for the spill.^[10]

In 2015, Duke Energy installed a battery-based energy storage system at the site for the purpose of regulating frequency in the electric grid.^[11] As a part of the decommissioning process, Duke Energy terminated their lease with the New Richmond Soccer Association who played soccer matches adjacent to Beckjord.^[12]

Duke Energy and its co-owners, AEP and DP&L, agreed to sell Beckjord and adjacent lands to Commercial Liability Partners for an undisclosed amount in February 2018. Commercial Liability Partners intends to repurpose the brownfields for redevelopment.^[1]

In April 2023, local officials raised alarms after nearly 300 acres of the site, nearly one third, was purchased by a neighboring farmer.^[13]

See also

• Ohio portal
• Energy portal

• List of power stations in Ohio

References

1. "Duke Energy, joint owners sell retired coal-fired plant in New Richmond". Cincinnati.com. Associated Press. February 27, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
2. "Beckjord Station (Coal)". Duke Energy. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
3. "Beckjord Station (Oil)". Duke Energy. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
4. "Beckjord plant shutting down". Cincinnati.com. The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 22, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
5. Bode, Patricia (September 1972). "Pollution: Take heart–we're actually gaining on the stuff". Cincinnati Magazine. p. 65.
6. "Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, 2006" (Excel). Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy. 2006. Archived from the original on 16 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
7. "W.C. Beckjord Station Retirement Plans".
8. "PJM Generator Deactivation Summary Sheets". Archived from the original on 2015-11-21. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
9. Warren, Jay (July 18, 2011). "Duke Energy to close Beckjord Power Plant in Clermont County". WCPO-TV. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
10. Smith, Carrie Blackmore; Brennan, Patrick (November 22, 2016). "Duke Energy apologizes for 2014 Ohio River diesel spill". Cincinnati.com. The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
11. "Duke Energy, LG Chem, Greensmith commission fast-response energy storage system in Ohio".
12. Shanklin, Garth (June 8, 2016). "New Richmond youth soccer searching for new home". The Clermont Sun. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
13. "Clermont officials cast wary eye on new owner at former Beckjord site, weighing new jobs and site cleanup". WCPO 9 Cincinnati. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.