KCPL boiler exploded this morning 12:30 AM 2-17-99. I have no idea if anyone was hurt, but two questions came up: Rumor has it they had the plant off-line and had rolled the date forward can anyone say yes or no on this.

Is this power plant the same type as the one which exploded at the Ford power plant.

Richard Hurley

-- Anonymous, February 17, 1999

Answers

I just spoke with my sister on the phone last night. Her husband works for Sabine Mining Co. in East Texas. The power plant that they supply coal to had a boiler explosion. I asked her what was the cause? She said they were told it was a result of some ash getting in. That's all she knew. It made no sense. They came real close to laying off mine workers because of the reduced need for lignite following the outage. I'm not saying it has anything to do with y2k or testing, but it is a coincidence that makes you go, hum.

-- Anonymous, February 17, 1999

The article I read, said that the Hawthorne Plant was down for maintenance work. The 11-story Boiler Building was reduced to 5- stories of bent steel. No one was injured, thank God! There were 11 men working the plant and two guys at the railroad tracks. The ones on the tracks were treated and released from the hospital with minor cuts. The explosion was felt up to 15 miles away.

I just drove by that plant the night before last, and I remember staring out the window at it and wondering if it was Y2K OK. It's eerie having it experience an accident the next day. I hope some one here can get some better inside information on it. Rick? Bonnie? Is this a common thing for a shut down boiler to do?

-- Anonymous, February 17, 1999

James Chancellor Can you get the date and place of the power plant which exploded in Texes. Thanks. Richard Hurley

-- Anonymous, February 18, 1999

The news article in the Kansas City Star newspaper online has a longer story today, but the investigation into the cause of the explosion is just beginning because the area is still being made safe for entry. Go to:

http://www.kcstar.com

Some pertinent extracts are: "One minor injury was reported."

"Only 12 workers were on site at the time."

"Pam Levetzow, a KCP&L spokeswoman, said the plant was not producing electricity at the time of the blast. The plant had been down this week for repairs unrelated to the boiler."

"The generating plant, which produces 15 percent of KCPL's electricity, will be out of operation for an extended time. That's significant, with the summer peak-demand season only a few months away.

Missouri utility regulators said Wednesday that they would assess whether KCP&L will be able to meet its electricity demands this summer if Hawthorn remains out of operation."

"The boiler that exploded Wednesday had experienced problems at least once before. Last Aug. 19, a welded seam on a pipe inside the boiler ruptured, causing the release of high-pressure steam.

The plant was out of service for 78 days following that incident. KCP&L couldn't say whether the blast Wednesday was related to the August incident.

KCP&L officials also plan to interview employees about whether the boiler was being fired up at the time of the explosion."

It's too soon to speculate on causes, but I'll try to do some investigation into any similarities between this plant, the Ford plant and the Sabine explosion James mentioned.

James, do you know if the Sabine incident is a separate explosion or could they have been referring to the KCP&L one if they are a coal supplier to them?

Richard, all I could find right now is that the plant was off-line for repairs but it's not stated what those repairs were. It would be good if anyone knows if this was a regularly scheduled outage or an unplanned one.

Meg, I don't know how common boiler explosions are, but hopefully someone else will have more information. It does pique the curiosity to have at least two mishaps in a short time frame. On the other hand, stranger coincidences have happened. I am also curious as to why the KCP&L officials said they planned to interview employees to see if the boiler was being fired up. It would seem to me that firing up a boiler after a down time would have been a scheduled process so they should already know. (Or at least know whether it was supposed to be happening then or not.)

-- Anonymous, February 18, 1999

I'll check with my sister today and see which plant they were supplying. I'll get back real soon.

-- Anonymous, February 19, 1999