New E-Crane begins operation at Kanawha River Plant

GLASGOW, W.Va. — Kanawha River Plant is once again receiving much of its coal by barge thanks to the new E-Crane that began operation at the plant in January.

From its perch atop a newly-constructed river cell, the E-Crane, or equilibrium crane, uses its large capacity bucket to move coal from barges to the plant’s coal yard. The equipment replaces the plant’s original crane which was retired several years ago.
For some time now, we’ve had to rely exclusively on locally-available, truck-delivered coal, which means we often have 100 or so trucks in and out of here a day,” said Joe Karrasch, plant manager. “The E-Crane expands our fuel options and fuel delivery options in an ever-changing market.”
Kanawha River’s crane is the fifth such crane in operation across the AEP System. The first was installed in December 2004 at Tanners Creek Plant in Lawrenceburg, Ind., which unloads coal from Ohio River barges.
Other locations with various models of E-Cranes include:

• Cardinal Plant in Brilliant, Ohio (installed November 2007 for limestone);
• Mountaineer Plant in New Haven, W.Va. (installed November 2006 for limestone and gypsum);
• Mitchell Plant in Moundsville, W.Va. (installed January 2007 for limestone and gypsum).

E-Cranes are being fabricated for OVEC/IKEC’s Kyger Creek Plant in Ohio and Clifty Creek Plant in Indiana, both for limestone unloading.
The E-Crane is produced by E-Crane International in Adagem, Belgium. The crane’s design features an ingenious parallelogram-style boom that provides a direct mechanical connection between the counterweight and the load. Compared to conventional cranes that require as much as 80 percent of their available energy just to move the boom, the E-Crane principle results in significantly lower maintenance and operating costs, according to the company.
Article from: AEP Now, an internal newsletter for AEP employees. (Thursday, February 7th 2008)