Kemper’s Lignite Delivery Facility commissioned this month

It’s one of the largest, most visible components of the Kemper County energy facility, and it’s perhaps the one that sparks the most curiosity for those seeing this imposing world-class power plant for the first time.

The Lignite Delivery Facility – marked by its massive dome – is being commissioned this month. When completed, the LDF will be capable of delivering roughly 15,000 tons of lignite a day to the neighboring gasification plant, where it will be transformed into a clean, synthetic gas to generate power.

“Commissioning means we’re running all the LDF systems to make sure they’re running properly,” Jody Holdbrooks, LDF startup manager said.

All lignite for the plant won’t pass through the dome itself. Instead, the dome is designed specifically to ensure a dry supply of lignite during soaking rain events.

“The dome is basically to keep a quantity of dry lignite so that you can send less-wet coal to the plant and the lignite dryer doesn’t have to work harder,” Holdbrooks added.

The LDF is a reminder of one of the unique capabilities of the Kemper facility. When completed, Mississippi Power’s Kemper plant will be the only coal gasification facility capable of using lignite coal to generate power.

Lignite travels through the LDF thanks to a system of conveyor belts that intersect outside the dome in what’s essentially a highway overpass for coal. From there, the system either diverts coal toward the dome, an emergency reserve pile, or straight to the plant itself, depending on requirements.

Inside the 189-foot high structure a double jointed stacker/reclaimer is housed. As its name suggests, the stacker organizes lignite coal inside the dome for storage while the reclaimer can rotate independently around the bottom of the dome to access the coal for use in the plant.

The reclaimer’s drag chain is so large it requires a counterweight on the back end weighing about 300,000 pounds – equivalent to the weight of roughly three to four18-wheelers– to offset the load.

“People don’t realize how big it all is, until you go in,” Holdbrooks said. “The 315-foot inside diameter could easily house an entire baseball field.”