Each of Clifty Creek Station's six generating units are rated at 217 megawatts (MW), for a total capacity of 1,302 MW. At the time it began operation, Clifty Creek Station, along with its twin, Kyger Creek Station, were the largest power plants ever built by private industry.
Situated along the Ohio River at Madison, Indiana, Clifty Creek Station was built to provide electric power to the Atomic Energy Commission's (Department of Energy) gaseous diffusion plant in Piketon, Ohio. The power station's electricity output helped power that facility until the supply agreement ended in 2003. Since then, power produced by Clifty Creek Station is supplied to the Sponsoring Companies, according to their sponsorship share.
Clifty continues to provide strong reliability and availability of generation, after years of servicing the Department of Energy's demand for power. In 2022, the plant generated over 5.8 million megawatts of power for the Sponsoring Companies and their customers.
Coal arrives by barge and is stored in the plant's coal yard. The coal burned at Clifty Creek is from the Illinois Coal Basin. Conveyor belts carry the coal from the yard into the plant where pulverizers grind the coal into a fine, talcum powder-like consistency. The powdered coal is injected into the boilers where it burns at high temperatures turning water circulating in the boilers into steam.
The steam is then directed into the turbines where it turns blades (much like wind turning a windmill). The spinning turbine drives a generator that produces electricity.
Because electricity cannot be stored, it is generated the instant a customer needs it. The generators produce electricity at 15,500 volts. Transformers outside the plant step up the voltage to 345,000 volts so that it can be transmitted efficiently to customers.
If you would like to read about Clifty Creek's Emission Controls click here .