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Site Description Report

Iatan Plant

20250 Highway 45 South

Weston, MO 64098

March 3, 2009

1.0 Background and Objectives

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of developing 

316(b) cooling water intake structure requirements that reflect the best technology

available (BTA) for minimizing adverse environmental impact for all existing 

power plants and manufacturing facilities. As part of this process, EPA staff is 

visiting electric generators and manufacturers to better understand the cooling 

water intake structure (CWIS) technologies in use at facilities, including the sitespecific characteristics of each facility and how these affect the selection and 

performance of CWIS technologies. EPA is also visiting facilities to better 

understand cooling water use and specific issues or technologies that can affect 

316(b) compliance. As part of its site visit to the Lake Road Plant, EPA also 

collected information on Kansas City Power and Light Company’s (KCP&L) 

Iatan Plant.

2.0 Facility Description

Iatan is located 35 miles up the Missouri River from Kansas City in Weston, 

Missouri and is owned and operated by KCP&L. The Iatan plant occupies over 

3000 acres and employs approximately 225 people.

Cooling and process water withdrawals from and wastewater discharges to the 

Missouri River are regulated under NPDES permit number MO0082996 which 

expired on February 5, 2009. Iatan submitted its NPDES permit application in a 

timely manner and is awaiting renewal of its permit by the state.

3.0 Electricity Generation and Transmission

The Iatan plant has a single coal-fired steam electric generating unit with a total 

generating capacity of around 706 MW. KCP&L is currently constructing Iatan 2 

adjacent to this site; see Section 8.0 for more information.

4.0 Cooling Water System and Intake Structure

Iatan has one CWIS that provides once-through cooling water for its existing 

generating unit. The CWIS is fitted with a trash rack and six standard (i.e., coarse 

mesh 3/8”) traveling screens. Three circulating water pumps each rated at about 

186,000 gallons per minute (gpm) provide a design intake flow 76,000 gpm per 

screen (total 653.8 mgd) of cooling water to the generating unit. Two pumps (four 
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screens) are required to run at all times. The through screen velocity is 2.27 feet 

per second (fps). A smaller fourth (auxiliary) pump only runs while the unit is 

off-line to supply cooling water for the auxiliary system. 

Iatan inspects its traveling screens annually. It also cleans and rebuilds each 

screen every two years on a staggered schedule during its routine maintenance 

outage period. 

5.0 Impingement and Entrainment Information

KCP&L did not provide any information on impingement, entrainment or source 

water body characterization for this site. 

6.0 Cooling Tower Feasibility

Cooling water will be supplied to the new generating unit at Iatan 2 via a 

mechanical draft cooling tower. No river water will be used for cooling this new 

unit as make-up water will be obtained from collector wells located 30 feet under 

the river.

Facility representatives noted that while the Iatan site is large in terms of acreage, 

much of the land is designated as wetlands or floodplain.

7.0 Debris Handling

As with other facilities located on the Missouri River, debris can be significant at 

Iatan. 

8.0 Repowering/Future Uses

As discussed above, KCP&L is in the process of constructing a new 850 MW 

coal-fired steam electric generating unit. KCP&L refers to this as Iatan 2, a plant 

adjacent to the existing Iatan Plant. Iatan 2 will be a high efficiency, coal-fired 

unit with a generating capacity of 850 MW. KCP&L expects to have Iatan 2 in 

service in 2010.

9.0 Cooling Ponds

Iatan does not have any cooling ponds.

10.0 Ownership

Iatan Unit 1is majority owned by KCP&L, a subsidiary of Great Plains Energy. 

KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations Company is also a subsidiary of Great 

Plains Energy. Both subsidiaries operate under the KCP&L brand name. 
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KCP&L will own approximately 620 MW of the Iatan Unit 2 capacity with the 

remainder jointly owned by other local electric utilities. 

11.0 316(a)

EPA did not collect any information on 316(a) for this site. 

12.0 Ash Handling

All bottom ash generated at Iatan is beneficially used for use in cement. Where 

possible, fly ash is beneficially used as a cement substitute or as a stabilizer.

Scrubber wastes associated with the new unit will be placed in an on-site landfill. 

KCP&L representatives commented that there was no re-sale market for these 

materials.

13.0 Air Emissions Controls

KCP&L did not provide information on existing air controls at Iatan. However, 

Iatan 2 will be fitted with a scrubber, SCR and baghouse and Unit 1 will be 

retrofitted with similar air controls during the expansion.