Cost of Retrofit Air Pollution Control vs new Coal-fired Boilers is Hot Topic on Thursday, July 28, 2011

Are the costs of adding air pollution control equipment to meet the new regulations so high that it would be better to retire the old power plants and replace them with ultrasupercritical coal-fired boilers?  Are the costs anticipated by EPA to meet the new toxic rules too conservative?  What will it cost to meet all the upcoming regulations?  Isn’t the ambient 2.5 standard going to drive down the emissions of SO₂ to Los Angeles levels?

Debbie Fox, an environmental attorney and director of the McIlvaine CO₂ mitigations publications will co host this session along with Bob McIlvaine.  She has extensively researched the impacts of the new toxic rules and also the environmental and cost consequences of a fleet of new coal-fired boilers which would be retired in 25 years after start up.

This is your opportunity to ask questions, argue your point of view and most of all help steer the nation toward the most sensible alternatives for meeting both the environmental and economic goals.

Please join us at 10:00 a.m. CDT on Thursday, July 28.  To register for the "Hot Topic Hour" on Thursday, July 28, 2011 CDT (Chicago time), click on: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/hot_topic_hour_registration.htm.

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 Here are the Headlines for the July 15, 2011 – Utility E-Alert

UTILITY E-ALERT

#1033 – July 15, 2011

COAL – US 

• Proposed Revisions to the Secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for NO_x and SO_x
• Tenaska gets some Water for Trailblazer Project
• Construction of John W. Turk still blocked
• Flyash Lawsuit against Dominion Virginia Power dismissed
• Luminant considering Shutdowns, adding FGD to Texas Power Plants

COAL – WORLD

• 1,240 MW Mong Duong 2 in Vietnam has Funding
• Power Projects in China increasingly include both FGD and NOx Control
• FGD Systems being rebuilt at Huadian Tengzhou
• FGD and SCR Projects on No. 13 Unit at Guodian Jiangsu Jianbi Power Plant in Commercial Operation
• Tata Power signs Package Agreement for 1,600 MW Supercritical Coal-fired Power Plant Project in Maharashtra, India
• SPX to provide Feedwater Heaters for 3x660 MW BARH in India
• Sarawak Energy close to Decision on Construction of 600 MW Power Plant in Balingian, Malaysia

GAS / OIL – US

• MDU proposes 88 MW Natural Gas-fired Power Plant near Mandan, ND
• Xcel Energy files to add 168 MW at Jones Power Plant

GAS / OIL – WORLD

• Siemens Gas Turbines to supply more Power to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
• Hitachi to modernize Tashkent Power Plant in Uzbekistan
• Chubu Electric Power, Marubeni to build 200 MW Sur Power Plant in Oman

BIOMASS

• Pöyry to design Two Biofuel-fired CHP Plants in Finland and Latvia
• Rentech receives Final Air Permit for its Port St. Joe Biomass IGCC Power Project
• Proposed Peaking Plants in South Africa to use Natural Gas not Diesel Oil

GASIFICATION

• IL Governor Pat Quinn OKs Coal-to-Gas Plant for Chicago’s Southeast Side
• KEPCO and Uhde Joint Venture in Gasification

CO₂

• AEP Puts Hold on Commercial-Scale CCS Project at Mountaineer 

§  Interest in Cap and Trade Programs Waning

• Australia Imposes US$25 per ton Carbon Tax Beginning in 2012; Delays Cap and Trade Program

§  Stantec Awarded $30 Million Engineering Contract for SaskPower CCS Project 

NUCLEAR

• Emergency Alert dropped at Cooper Nuclear Plant
• Financing talks for 1,400 MW Kakrapur and Rajasthan Nuclear Power Plants in India
• Lithuania chooses GE-Hitachi for Nuclear Project
• Amended Complaint against Alternate Energy Holdings
• Flowserve to supply Valves to Shin-Ulchin 1 and 2 Nuclear Power Plants

BUSINESS

• Cansolv Technology to remove SO₂ from Duyun Coal-fired Power Plant in Guizhou Province
• Dynegy seeks $1.7 Billion in Loans to restructure Existing Debt
• Czech EPH has Billions for German Coal-fired Power Plants
• KBR to provide DRYCON system for Seminole Coal-fired Power Plant
• China loans Serbia Money to construct Kostolac Power Plant
• Mississippi Lime Company announces Hydrated Lime Expansions
• FMC Corporation and URS Corporation Collaborate to Develop and Commercialize New NO_x Control Technology
• Chromalloy announces New Capabilities at Georgia Turbine Engine Repair Center

HOT TOPIC HOUR

• Fan Hot Topic Hour Beneficial for the Experts as well as the Newcomers
• Upcoming Hot Topic Hour

For more information on the Utility Environmental Upgrade Tracking System, click on: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/energy.html#42ei.

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 Power Plant Materials Development Are the Key to Low Cost Clean Electricity

A new generation of ultrasupercritical boilers is on the drawing board.  The efficiency, environmental impact and cost of these new boilers are in no small part a function of new materials to handle the high pressures and temperatures.  The unique molten salt process for solar generation storage, the development of larger wind turbines, the safety of nuclear waste containment and the cost of small modular nuclear reactors are all a function of material availability. This conclusion is reflected in the monthly free Power Plant Materials Insights published by the McIlvaine Company (www.mcilvainecompany.com) and available in its Global Knowledge Orchard.

Ultrasupercritical coal-fired power plants offer as much as a 30 percent increase in efficiency over conventional subcritical power plants.  This means burning 30 percent less coal and producing 30 percent less CO₂.  This also means 30 percent less capital investment in air pollution control systems and 30 percent smaller fans, coal conveyors, ball mills and other expensive equipment.

EPRI with funding from DOE has made some significant materials advancement to allow as much as a 250 degree F increase in temperature.  A consortium has been formed to pursue Project Cresta (Creep Resistant Stable).  CRMC, the research arm of Industeel, Alstom, Dong Energy and others are part of the consortium pursuing the development of a new alloy.

Experience with alloys and linings for flue gas desulfurization has revealed anomalies which need to be addressed to eliminate expensive corrosion failures in the future.  EPRI has an active program.  Lining suppliers are demonstrating repair solutions.

There are some big projects underway to use molten salt to store the heat generated by concentrated solar systems.  The toughest environment is the hot salt zone.   The combination of temperature and corrosion potential make this a challenging application for materials.  However, if too exotic a material is needed, the cost of thermal solar will not be competitive.

The materials needed to contain nuclear waste and those needed in nuclear reactors to maximize safety while providing electricity at a reasonable price are under constant evaluation. The future of nuclear power is dependent on evolution of the materials used in the system components.

Conventional power plant cooling systems also benefit by materials development.  Maintenance and repair is very expensive when it reduces plant availability. The latest generation of power plants is expected to operate for long periods between shutdowns. The choice of materials for less critical segments such as cooling tower piping can impact operability and therefore cost.

You can register to receive Power Plant Material Insights monthly at: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/Free_Newsletter_Registration_Form.htm.

You can view the current issue and past issues in the Global Knowledge Orchard at: Power Plant Material Insights.

You can access all the material in the Global Knowledge Orchard http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/Decision_Tree/subscriber/Tree/Default.htm

You can register for our free McIlvaine Newsletters at: http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/Free_Newsletter_Registration_Form.htm.

Bob McIlvaine
President
847-784-0012 ext 112
rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com

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191 Waukegan Road Suite 208 | Northfield | IL 60093

Ph: 847-784-0012 | Fax: 847-784-0061

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