Perry K. Generating Station

Perry K. Generating Station is a small multi-fired power station producing steam for one of the largest central district steam heating systems in the United States. The plant is located on the south side of downtown Indianapolis, at the intersection of Kentucky Avenue and West Street. Its coal-fired units were among the oldest operating power plants in the United States at the time,[1] and were converted to natural gas in 2016.[2] Perry K. is owned by Citizens Thermal, a division of Citizens Energy Group.

Perry K. Generating Station
Perry K. in 2014.
Map
CountryUnited States
LocationDowntown Indianapolis, Indiana
Coordinates39°45′46″N 86°10′01″W / 39.76278°N 86.16694°W / 39.76278; -86.16694
StatusOperational
Commission dateUnit 4: January 1925
Unit 6: July 1938
OwnerCitizens Energy Group
Thermal power station
Primary fuelNatural Gas
Turbine technologySteam turbine
Power generation
Nameplate capacity20 MWe
External links
CommonsRelated media on Commons

History

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In 1892–1893, the Indianapolis Light and Power Company, a predecessor of the Indianapolis Power and Light Company (IPL), constructed a generating plant on Kentucky Avenue near the intersection with West Street. The $300,000 plant, originally known as the "Kentucky Avenue Plant", had a capacity of 1,120 kilowatts. Its output was initially used for street and commercial lighting, but in 1905 the plant was modified to provide steam for the district heating of a number of downtown businesses.[3]

A plant expansion in 1937 included the installation of 650 psig boilers and the use of pulverized coal. That same year the Kentucky Avenue plant and the nearby West plant at 744 West Washington Avenue were renamed as Sections K and W, respectively, of the Charles C. Perry Plant.[3]

In 2000, IPL sold the district heating system and the Perry K plant to Citizens Gas and Coke Utility (later renamed as Citizens Energy Group).[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, 2006" (Excel). Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy. 2006. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  2. ^ "Last ever load of coal arrives at Downtown steam plant". IndyStar. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  3. ^ a b c Jamie Dillard; Bill Petty (2009). "District Heating and Cooling in Indianapolis - Past, Present and Future" (PDF). International District Energy Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 10, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
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