Ohio U’s geographic location in Southeast Ohio puts it close to the source of our electricity. Coal fields and power plants are densely concentrated in our corner of the state as compared to the rest of Ohio, and in Appalachia as compared to the rest of the United States. AEP, for example, operates 25 coal-fired power plants nationwide and six of these are in the Ohio River Valley. General James M. Gavin Power Plant, the largest coal-fired power plant in Ohio and the place our electricity is generated, is only thirty miles outside of Athens. These circumstances make the production and transport of energy from coal relatively less expensive than energy generated from other sources and less expensive for Ohio U than consumers farther away.