Muskingum River Power Plant

Muskingum River Power Plant

Company type	Power plant
Industry	Energy
Founded	1953
Defunct	2015
Fate	Shut down and demolished
Headquarters	Washington County, Ohio , United States
Products	Electricity generation (coal-fired)
Owner	American Electric Power

Muskingum River Power Plant was a coal-powered facility with a total capacity of 1.5 gigawatts (1,529 MW), owned and managed by American Electric Power (AEP). Situated along the west bank of the Muskingum River, approximately northwest of Beverly, Ohio in Washington County, Ohio, it provided electricity to nearly three million homes during its operational peak. The plant was active from 1953 until it stopped producing power in 2015.

Units

Among the five units, four ranked among the oldest coal-fired generators in the United States:

Unit	Nameplate capacity (MWe)	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Notes
1	219.6	1953	2014
2	219.6	1954	2014
3	237.5	1957	2014
4	237.5	1958	2014
5	615.2	1968	2015	Supercritical unit utilizing closed-loop water cooling through a cooling tower

Units 1 through 4 released waste heat into the Muskingum River at levels approximately twice their combined electrical output.

Closure and demolition

In 2010, AEP idled one unit as part of expense reduction efforts. Although there were initial plans to convert the facility to natural gas, environmental regulations and market dynamics led to its full shutdown, incurring costs between $150 and $170 million. The decision was also influenced by Ohio's stagnant electricity demand. Units 1–4 were retired by the end of 2014, with Unit 5 ceasing operations in May 2015, resulting in the loss of 150 jobs.

The property was sold in September 2015 to Commercial Liability Partners for redevelopment as a brownfield site. Demolition work was contracted to Adamo and completed in June 2018 following the controlled implosion of the remaining smokestacks. In January 2021, ownership transferred to the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority to advance redevelopment initiatives.

Hydrogen explosion

At 9:20 a.m. on January 8, 2007, an explosion occurred involving a hydrogen delivery truck supplying dihydrogen gas to the plant’s system, resulting in the driver’s death and injuries to ten others. Initial investigations attributed the incident to failure of the pressure-relief device’s rupture disc.

Nevertheless, two civil court cases in 2011 dismissed AEP's assertions that rupture discs or external contractors were responsible. Juries determined that AEP exhibited "deliberate intent" toward employee Drumand McLaughlin and acted with "conscious disregard" regarding deceased driver Lewis Timmons. The verdict imposed nearly $13 million in damages, including punitive damages against subsidiaries Ohio Power Company and American Electric Power Service Corporation for inadequate maintenance of hydrogen infrastructure. Legal fees were also awarded.

Demolition accident

On December 2, 2015, during disassembly of a conveyor belt spanning a waterway, structural failure of the belt housing caused one fatality and another injury among workers. OSHA issued four serious violation citations against contractor Adamo.

See also

• List of power stations in Ohio