Big Bend Rail Coal Unloading
Tampa Electric is committed to providing safe and reliable electric service in the most environmentally friendly manner possible to the more than 667,000 customers we serve. This is evident in the more than $1.2 billion the company has invested over the last 10 years to meet or surpass all environmental requirements.
Coal Rail Unloading Project Facts:
- This project, completed in December 2009, provides diversity of transportation methods to receive coal at the Big Bend Power Station. Previously, coal shipments were received exclusively by waterborne methods, which are subject to disruption from storms in the Gulf of Mexico.
- Tampa Electric determined and the Florida Public Service Commission agreed that bimodal solid fuel transportation to our Big Bend station affords the company and its customers with access to more potential coal suppliers, resulting in more competitive, overall delivered costs; the flexibility to switch to either water or rail in the event of a transportation breakdown or interruption of the other mode; and competition for solid fuel transportation contracts for future periods.
- The project, which includes a one-mile double looped track primarily on Big Bend property, will accommodate two unit trains for coal deliveries by utilizing electronic rail switching devices designed to minimize the impact of the rail cars on traffic outside of Big Bend.
- The project has all the necessary permit approvals from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), the Army Corp of Engineers and the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission (EPC).
- The Florida Public Service Commission approved the project costs that will be included in customers’ base rates beginning in January 2010. Tampa Electric negotiated a reimbursement from CSX for some of the project costs and these reimbursements will be passed through to our customers in the fuel clause component of their monthly bills.
- Community notification was accomplished by the FDEP draft air permit that allowed the public to provide comment. This notice ran in the December 15, 2008, Legal Notices section of The Tampa Tribune. Written comments for this part of the permitting process needed to be submitted 14 days from the notice date. This was the permit process used to provide the public an opportunity to express concerns regarding air emissions associated with this project.
- Regarding coal dust suppression, Tampa Electric sprays our coal field and uses a water truck that sprays the plant roadways during the day. The company increased spraying the coal field last year from once to twice per day.
- Upon arrival by rail at Big Bend station, the coal will be treated with a surfactant and water spray as it is unloaded. At each transition point along the conveyor, additional spraying will be used to further control dust.
- The coal delivered by rail will be unloaded on a continuous basis in an enclosed facility that is being built as part of the state-of-the-art rail coal unloading facility. This will minimize any noise associated with the unloading process and will eliminate the starting and stopping of rail cars.
Tampa Electric has incorporated numerous features in our project to provide for coal rail delivery in the most quiet, efficient and environmentally friendly manner possible.
