Longview Power’s rehabilitation of its 700-megawatt power plant in Maidsville, West Virginia, has transformed an operation previously beset by frequent outages and poor performance into one of the cleanest, most efficient coal-fired plants in the United States. Emerson contributed to the turnaround by providing automation technologies and services that help Longview provide enough reliable, affordable electricity to power more than 500,000 homes.
A global team of Emerson automation experts worked around the clock to replace Longview’s existing control system with new Ovation technology that manages operations across the plant. The automation work was completed in only 13 months, nearly twice as fast as a typical project of this scope.
Availability has risen to over 98 percent and net generation has increased by more than a third – all while using less fuel than before and producing 15 percent lower carbon dioxide emissions than the average US coal-fired power plant. Longview also expects to save $3 million per year by avoiding unplanned outages.