I worked there (thru subcontractor Research-Cottrell) while they were building it. 3 things I remember. 1. Standing under the cooling towers, not even working yet, and there was a steady 20mph wind generated by the shape of the sun heated concrete. The engineers called them the 'hyperbolics'. 2. The ball mill is a tumbling 'barrel' the size of a school bus and is filled half way with softball sized steel balls. It rotates fast, maybe every 2 or 3 seconds and is the second loudest thing I've experienced. You put coal chunks in one end and it comes out the other end with talcum powder consistency. 3. The 'steam blow' was the loudest thing I ever experienced. The high pressure steam pipes are maybe 3 inch thick walls and a man could crawl thru on hands and knees. To clean them out before 'closing the system', they turn on the plant's steam generator and vent the open pipe out the far corner of the plant for maybe 15 minutes. I was in a trailer 100 yards away, on the other side of the building. I had to scream in the ear of my coworker just to be heard.
Hello, Walter. That is a good question. JEA had excess generating capacity due primarily to effective conservation methods used by JEA customers. As a result, SJRPP was producing half as much energy as it did 10 years ago. Retirement of the facility results in significant annual cost savings that can be directed to debt reduction and important capital projects that will benefit JEA’s customers. JEA’s carbon footprint will be decreased by 30 percent and its nitrogen to the St. Johns River reduced as a result of plant retirement.
@@NewsFromJEA OK, thanks...I guess that makes sense. It's just that it's a little troubling to me to see the countless videos on TH-cam of coal-fired power plants being demolished all over this country, all the while knowing that solar and wind cannot possibly make up the difference of the generating capacity lost. I also understand many coal fired plants are converting to natural gas. I just hope we aren't cutting off our noses in spite of our faces by shutting down all those coal plants. I likes my electricity! ;)
Had a chance to walk through the cooling towers before start up. The vid does not show the scale. Was an Amazing place to work. PS. Yes Safety meeting every morning.
I worked in this plant in 2008-2009 for subcontractor MMR ,doing electrical work. It was an amazing plant. It was massively larger than you would imagine. And very,very complex. Until then , I didn’t realize how much was involved in generating electricity. And probably half of the structure was dedicated to emission control. The EPA is very strict. A lot of people would say “look at all of the pollution coming out of those towers “. Sorry to tell you,but that’s pure steam. One day,there was a small puff of black smoke that came out of the tall stack, for about 30 seconds,and the EPA was on the phone within minutes. That plant polluted VERY LITTLE. probably less than the cars in Jacksonville 😂
One of my best customers, it was a disaster to hear they were closing the plant. Now after 23 years of dedication to pulverized coal burning power plants, my family run small business is no longer in business. Our lives were destroyed and I went from President/CEO to an aircraft marshal-er at an airport - not much demand for '50 something year olds,' past CEO's /small business owners. Thank you green energy zealots, you destroyed my life. And to SJRPP - thank you seriously for the years of purchasing orders/contracts. I will always miss working with y'all.
I worked there (thru subcontractor Research-Cottrell) while they were building it. 3 things I remember.
1. Standing under the cooling towers, not even working yet, and there was a steady 20mph wind generated by the shape of the sun heated concrete. The engineers called them the 'hyperbolics'.
2. The ball mill is a tumbling 'barrel' the size of a school bus and is filled half way with softball sized steel balls. It rotates fast, maybe every 2 or 3 seconds and is the second loudest thing I've experienced. You put coal chunks in one end and it comes out the other end with talcum powder consistency.
3. The 'steam blow' was the loudest thing I ever experienced. The high pressure steam pipes are maybe 3 inch thick walls and a man could crawl thru on hands and knees. To clean them out before 'closing the system', they turn on the plant's steam generator and vent the open pipe out the far corner of the plant for maybe 15 minutes. I was in a trailer 100 yards away, on the other side of the building. I had to scream in the ear of my coworker just to be heard.
Yes Brother and we had names for everything .. The ball mills had names like Tom and Bill.. 2 i rem.
My question is this. What replaces the generating capacity of this now closed and demolished plant?
Hello, Walter. That is a good question. JEA had excess generating capacity due primarily to effective conservation methods used by JEA customers. As a result, SJRPP was producing half as much energy as it did 10 years ago. Retirement of the facility results in significant annual cost savings that can be directed to debt reduction and important capital projects that will benefit JEA’s customers. JEA’s carbon footprint will be decreased by 30 percent and its nitrogen to the St. Johns River reduced as a result of plant retirement.
@@NewsFromJEA OK, thanks...I guess that makes sense.
It's just that it's a little troubling to me to see the countless videos on TH-cam of coal-fired power plants being demolished all over this country, all the while knowing that solar and wind cannot possibly make up the difference of the generating capacity lost.
I also understand many coal fired plants are converting to natural gas.
I just hope we aren't cutting off our noses in spite of our faces by shutting down all those coal plants.
I likes my electricity! ;)
@@walterzoomie ATM no capacity replacement.
Had a chance to walk through the cooling towers before start up. The vid does not show the scale. Was an Amazing place to work. PS. Yes Safety meeting every morning.
Thank you for sharing that with us 😊
@@NewsFromJEA many of us have some vid of our time there. Would not mind sharing.
I worked in this plant in 2008-2009 for subcontractor MMR ,doing electrical work. It was an amazing plant. It was massively larger than you would imagine. And very,very complex. Until then , I didn’t realize how much was involved in generating electricity. And probably half of the structure was dedicated to emission control. The EPA is very strict. A lot of people would say “look at all of the pollution coming out of those towers “. Sorry to tell you,but that’s pure steam. One day,there was a small puff of black smoke that came out of the tall stack, for about 30 seconds,and the EPA was on the phone within minutes. That plant polluted VERY LITTLE. probably less than the cars in Jacksonville 😂
One of my best customers, it was a disaster to hear they were closing the plant. Now after 23 years of dedication to pulverized coal burning power plants, my family run small business is no longer in business. Our lives were destroyed and I went from President/CEO to an aircraft marshal-er at an airport - not much demand for '50 something year olds,' past CEO's /small business owners. Thank you green energy zealots, you destroyed my life.
And to SJRPP - thank you seriously for the years of purchasing orders/contracts. I will always miss working with y'all.