Jeffrey Energy Center
| Company type | Power generation facility |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electric power generation |
| Founded | July 1978 |
| Headquarters | Emmett Township, Pottawatomie County , United States |
Area served | Kansas, United States |
| Products | Electricity |
| Owner | Evergy, Inc. (via subsidiaries Westar Energy and Aquila Corp.) |
Jeffrey Energy Center (Jeffrey EC) is a power generation facility fueled by sub-bituminous coal, situated in Emmett Township, Pottawatomie County, Kansas, approximately northwest of St. Marys, Kansas. Ownership is shared between Westar Energy and Aquila Corp., both subsidiaries of Evergy, Inc., headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. The complex includes three generating units, each rated at 800 MW, providing a combined output capacity of 2.16 gigawatts. Unit 1 commenced operations in 1978, followed by unit 2 in 1980, and unit 3 in 1983.
The facility’s primary role involves transforming the chemical energy stored in sub-bituminous coal sourced from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin into electrical power.
History
Constructed during the late 1970s energy crisis triggered by escalating oil prices, Jeffrey EC was inaugurated in July 1978 with a visit from Vice President Walter Mondale, who highlighted the plant's significance in utilizing domestic coal instead of imported oil. The opening ceremony featured a parachute demonstration by the US Army Golden Knights and a special train transporting company and state dignitaries from Topeka, Kansas.
Initial plans included four generating units; however, this was reduced due to slower growth in electricity demand than anticipated.
The facility’s steam turbines and generators were supplied by Siemens-Allis from Germany. Interestingly, the intermediate pressure turbine originally intended for unit 2 was lost at sea during transit and subsequently replaced with the turbine designated for unit 3.
By December 2007, approximately 220 million tons of Powder River Basin coal had been delivered to Jeffrey EC by Foundation Coal.
In April 2021, Evergy revealed intentions to retire unit 3 by 2030 as part of efforts to decrease reliance on fossil fuels.
Operation
Coal arrives at Jeffrey EC via unit trains roughly long, each consisting of 110 aluminum railcars capable of carrying 100 tons per car. Weekly shipments involve about coal cars. The coal used has an energy content near 8,400 BTU/lb (19.5 MJ/kg), and at maximum output, the plant consumes approximately of coal every hour.
Jeffrey EC’s maximum electrical generation capacity is about 1,857 MW. Cooling water is drawn from the nearby Kansas River and supplemented by two local wells due to the absence of large natural water reservoirs in the vicinity.
The plant operates with a thermal efficiency close to 33%, converting roughly one-third of the coal’s chemical energy into usable electricity. The remainder dissipates as low-grade heat through evaporative cooling water after steam condenses post-turbine expansion. This condensed steam is then recirculated to the high-pressure boiler for reuse following the principles of the Rankine cycle, a thermodynamic process standard among steam-based power stations including those powered by nuclear, gas, coal, geothermal, and solar furnace technologies.
As reported in 2011, Jeffrey EC was ranked twelfth among the fifty highest carbon dioxide-emitting power plants in the United States, releasing approximately 14.7 million metric tons annually.