News

1/15/2008

Pollution controls installed on our power plants

White vapor from the new flue stack at an Ohio power plant that supplies electricity to Midwest Electric members means cleaner air.

This is the good environmental news resulting from the completion of a $300-million flue gas desulfurization (FGD) system at Unit 2 of the Cardinal Plant near Brilliant, OH. The FGD scrubber system will remove approximately 98 percent of sulfur dioxide (SO2) produced in the generation process. But there's a bonus: Unit 2 is able to reduce emissions while using locally mined Ohio coal, meaning jobs and economic benefits for eastern Ohio and the region.

Cardinal, located on the Ohio River, is a facility jointly owned by Buckeye Power, Inc., which supplies wholesale electricity to the state's electric cooperatives such as Midwest Electric, and American Electric Power. Installation of the Unit 2 FGD system began three years ago with the goal of removing SO2 from flue gas. SO2 is a cause of acid rain and associated with the use of high-sulfur coal at power plants.

Completion of the FGD work at Unit 2 makes it one of the cleanest coal-burning generators of electricity in the world and capable of using locally mined fuel. Ohio American Energy has made substantial investment at its recently opened mining operation near Cardinal. The company plans to employ approximately 240 people to supply local coal for the FGD-equipped generation unit.

"Installation of this technology allows us to use locally mined Ohio coal at Cardinal, while achieving a dramatic reduction in emissions. The FGDs provide more jobs for Ohioans and cleaner air for us all," said Buckeye Power President Anthony J. Ahern.

The FGD scrubber and associated environmental controls on Unit 2 are being replicated at AEP's Unit 1, scheduled to become operational in April. Work is also underway at Buckeye Power's Unit 3 with scrubber completion expected in early 2010.

The FGDs have a SO2 design removal efficiency of 98 percent at normal plant operating level. A co-benefit is that by having a FGD scrubber and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system in series at Cardinal, mercury can also be effectively scrubbed out of the flue gas.

Cardinal will hire 60 people to operate and maintain the scrubbers and associated equipment over the next several years. About half the new employees have already been hired. Hundreds of construction jobs were created to build and install the scrubber equipment at Units 1 and 2. This payroll and retail impact for the community will continue as more work shifts to Unit 3.

Finally, flue gas desulfurization also results in a marketable byproduct. Commercial grade gypsum is derived when SO2 reacts with calcium carbonate (limestone). Much of this will be sold to the wallboard manufacturing industry.

The FGD systems culminate years of air-quality work at Cardinal, including installation of low-nitrogen oxide (NOx) burners to reduce this emission linked to smog by up to 60 percent; selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems on all three units to reduce NOx by up to 90 percent during the ozone season (May-September); and electrostatic precipitators to remove more than 99 percent of fly ash particles produced by coal combustion.

Buckeye Power, Inc., a Touchstone Energy cooperative based in Columbus, supplies power and energy services to the electric distribution cooperatives in Ohio. The cooperatives' certified service territory covers nearly 40 percent of the land area in the state and encompasses 77 of Ohio's 88 counties. The cooperatives serve more than 335,000 homes, farms, businesses and industries.

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