Coal-Fired Power Plants
Two Valley and Ridge counties have economically valuable coal deposits (see map), and even some Shenandoah Valley counties have deposits (see another map). Coal is not limited to just the Triassic basins and the Appalachian Plateau, but those were the two regions where coal production was significant in the local and regional economy.
- The map of Virginia coal-field regions ignores the upper Valley coal and highlights the Southwest Coal Field Region. A quick look at the Virginia Coal Production or the county percentage charts will show you which counties lead the state in coal mining, and a look at the historical Production by Coal Seam: 1951 to 1998 will show you the imporatance of the bed of coal known as the Pocahontas #3 seam.
About 80% of the coal mined in the United States is converted into electricity, as shown by this graphic from the Energy Information Administration:
Links
fly ash disposal, piping waste from power plant to disposal ponds at Chesterfield
Coal in Virginia
Virginia Places
