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| Riverside Generating Station | |
|---|---|
| Name | Riverside Generating Station |
| Location | Chicago, Cook County, Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Owner | Exelon Corporation; previously Commonwealth Edison |
| Status | Operational |
| Primary fuel | Coal; natural gas; oil (historically) |
| Units | Multiple steam turbines and gas turbines |
| Capacity | ~250 MW (nameplate) |
| Commissioned | 1950s–1960s |
Riverside Generating Station Riverside Generating Station is a mid‑20th‑century thermal power plant located on the south bank of the Des Plaines River near Chicago. The facility historically supplied baseload and peaking electricity to the Chicago metropolitan area, integrating with the Midcontinent Independent System Operator grid and interconnecting with the PJM Interconnection and regional transmission infrastructure. Over decades it underwent retrofits reflecting shifts in fuel markets and emissions regulation administered by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
The plant was developed during the post‑World War II expansion of electric capacity undertaken by utilities such as Commonwealth Edison and contemporaneous with projects by Public Service Enterprise Group and Consolidated Edison. Construction began amid the 1940s–1960s wave of steam‑electric commissioning that also produced facilities like Braidwood Generating Station and Fisk Generating Station. Early operations relied on high‑sulfur bituminous coal, mirroring regional supply from the Illinois Basin and the Appalachian Coalfields, and the station participated in fuel procurement networks involving Peabody Energy and Arch Coal. Environmental regulation changes spurred retrofits during the 1970s Clean Air Act amendments and the 1990s acid rain program overseen by the United States Department of Energy. Ownership transitions and corporate reorganizations followed patterns seen at Exelon Corporation and Duke Energy holdings in the Midwest.
Situated adjacent to the Des Plaines River and within proximity to Interstate 55 and U.S. Route 12/20/45, the site occupies strategic riverfront real estate for water intake and cooling. The plant neighbors industrial zones associated with the Chicago Loop logistics corridors and is connected to rail infrastructure historically used by the Illinois Central Railroad and BNSF Railway for coal deliveries. The locale places the station within the watershed of the Chicago River system and upstream of municipal waterworks serving Cook County, Illinois and parts of the City of Chicago.
The facility comprises multiple steam turbines, boilers, and combustion turbines arranged in a configuration akin to mid‑century thermal stations such as Powerton Power Station and Joliet Generating Station. Plant infrastructure includes flue gas desulfurization units, electrostatic precipitators, and selective catalytic reduction systems similar to retrofits at Indianapolis Power & Light plants. Water handling features cooling towers, circulating water pumps, and intake screens modeled on standards used by utilities like Southern Company and American Electric Power. Electric output is dispatched through step‑up transformers and switchyards that interface with regional substations operated by Northern Illinois Transmission System entities.
Originally dependent on coal transported by unit trains from the Illinois Basin coalfields and delivered via Union Pacific Railroad corridors, operations later incorporated natural gas‑fired peaking units to improve ramping and reduce start‑up emissions, mirroring trends at plants such as Dunkirk Power Station and Belews Creek Steam Station. Fuel contracts and hedging strategies referenced commodity markets including the New York Mercantile Exchange and pipelines like ANR Pipeline and Kinder Morgan. Operational control centers used distributed control systems and supervisory control and data acquisition architectures comparable to implementations by Siemens and General Electric.
Emissions profiles evolved with installation of pollution controls mandated by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and state implementation plans overseen by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The station’s stack emissions historically included sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and mercury — concerns shared with facilities such as NIPSCO and Cayuga Generating Station. Mitigation measures included flue gas desulfurization and selective catalytic reduction, aligning compliance pathways similar to EPA consent decrees and regional Cross‑State Air Pollution Rule requirements. Local monitoring coordinated with agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when evaluating impacts on the Des Plaines River ecosystem and migratory corridors recognized by the National Audubon Society.
The plant’s ownership history reflects consolidation in the U.S. utility sector, with operational management models resembling those used by Exelon Corporation, Commonwealth Edison, and other investor‑owned utilities such as FirstEnergy and Nextera Energy. Corporate governance, rate cases, and capital investments intersected with oversight from the Illinois Commerce Commission and market rules enforced by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Workforce relations, training programs, and collective bargaining paralleled practices at unions like the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the United Steelworkers.
As a regional employer and purchaser of coal, natural gas, and services, the station influenced local economies similar to the roles played by Zion Nuclear Power Station and Shoreham Power Station in their communities. Tax contributions and investment supported municipal budgets in Cook County, Illinois and funded infrastructure initiatives analogous to those pursued with assistance from federal programs administered by the Economic Development Administration. Community engagement included partnerships with local educational institutions such as University of Illinois Chicago and workforce development programs coordinated with regional labor councils and chambers of commerce.
Category:Power stations in Illinois