From Coal to Natural Gas

Cleaner Power for North Georgia
Georgia Power will replace coal-fueled units at Plant McDonough with three 840 megawatt natural gas units. The new units will produce enough electricity to power 625,000 homes. This change will ensure reliability of electric service to north Georgia while reducing the environmental impact of the plant on the local community.

Natural gas-fueled combined-cycle power plants offer one of the cleanest and most efficient methods of producing electricity. Combined-cycle plants can produce large amounts of electricity at high efficiencies and with low emissions.

Natural gas-fueled plants also have the capability to start up quickly to meet immediate customer demands. This feature helps operators deal with power line voltage issues - helping to prevent blackouts, such as those experienced in other parts of the United States.

The three combined-cycle units will recycle cooling water through the use of cooling towers so there is essentially no thermal impact on the Chattahoochee River.

The process of transitioning to a natural gas plant will take several years. Plant staffing of the first combined cycle unit began in early 2009. In January 2012 the first natural gas unit will become operational. The remaining two combined cycle units are scheduled to go into service in May 2012 and January 2013.

Beginning in 2012, Plant McDonough's three natural gas-fueled units will result in the following emissions reductions:

• 95 percent reduction in Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) emissions
• 99 percent reduction in Sulfur Dioxide (S02) emissions
• 100 percent reduction in Mercury (Hg) emissions
• 50 percent reduction in Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emission rate

Pipeline
In order for Plant McDonough's natural gas-fueled units to operate, Georgia Power has installed a pipeline to transport natural gas to the plant from the Southern Natural Gas system north of Union City, Georgia. View map.

More than 95 percent of this natural gas pipeline is located within an existing electric transmission right-of-way. The 30-inch pipe is buried a minimum of 5 feet underground and is located on a route approximately 19 miles long. Also, the line crosses under the Chattahoochee River and several other small creeks, as do other pipelines throughout the state. These crossings are bored underground at greater depths.

All environmental, cost, design and safety issues associated with constructing and building the pipeline were taken into account before the final proposal was submitted to the Georgia Public Service Commission for approval. Georgia Power worked with all state agencies to ensure proper installation and safety of the pipeline.