Holistic Program for Solution to Coal-fired Power Plant Environmental
Problems
The battle over energy and the environment is mostly caused by confusion over
values. A common metric to rate all harm will lead to agreement on a program
which will:
Reduce greenhouse gases and pollutants by more than the present strategy
Create a big stimulus program with many new jobs
Reduce the deficit
Make the U.S. more competitive
Europe is moving away from gas and back to coal through reliance on
ultrasupercritical coal-fired power plants and renewables. In the U.S. we enjoy
lower gas prices, but the reality is that gas prices locally will eventually
reach world levels. EIA anticipates this increase and is forecasting that U.S.
consumption of coal in 2035 will be higher than consumption in 2012 and near the
levels of 2008.
Over the next twenty-five years, the U.S. will operate the oldest coal fleet in
the world. Even with compliance to all standards, these power plants will emit
three times the pollutants emitted by new power plants. They will burn 30
percent more coal and the cost to operate them will be more than the depreciated
cost of new power plants.
A common metric to measure all harm means that a numerical comparison can be
made between alternative strategies and the path with the biggest harm reduction
at the least cost can be chosen. All pollutants can be rated based on equivalent
tons of CO2 as per the following example:
Harm in Tons of Equivalent CO2
Pollutant Tons of CO2 Equivalent
Per Ton Emitted
CO2 (air) 1
SO2 ( air) 100
Mercury (air) 10.000,000
Water usage in drought area 0.1
Landfill Depletion 0.001
TSS (water) 100
This ratio is already established by EPA in its cost/benefit analyses for
various rules. The relative values can be debated and a new consensus
established. A tool called Quality Enhanced Life Days (QELD) can be used to help
set this consensus.
Power plant operators are most concerned by what they call the Franken MACT. The
threat of sequential regulation of each harm individually causes confusion and
potentially exorbitant costs. So consensus on a program for total harm reduction
will result in clarity and cost reduction.
The most overlooked economic statistic is that a new supercritical coal-fired
power plant will be the low cost option even if it is operated for only
twenty-five years. This means that the staunchest anti coal environmentalists
will not be deterred from their 2050 goals.
Here is the total harm comparison between the present coal-fired fleet with all
the proposed new controls and new supercritical coal-fired power plants:
Harm in Tons of Equivalent CO2 for the U.S Coal Fleet
Billions of Tons Per Year
Pollutant Existing Coal Plants Upgraded to Meet New Standards New Super-Critical
Coal-fired Power Plants
Air Toxics 1 0.1
PM2.5 0.5 0.05
SO2 0.9 0.09
NOx 0.4 0.1
CO2 1.7 1.2
Water 0.5 0.2
Soil 0.5 0.2
Total 5.5 2.2
Replacement of the old power plants with new ones would reduce harm by the
equivalent of 3.3 billion tons of CO2 per year. China has built more
supercritical power plants in the last five years than would be needed to
replace the entire U.S. fleet. These plants have the latest NOx and SO2 removal
equipment, so it is not just Europe who is showing why the program is possible.
The following steps are needed for success:
Agreement on a common metric
A national plan which takes into account local concerns, but is not hostage to
them
A method for encouraging investment in the new power plants
Dialog between all the different parties can be meaningful when addressing
specifics such as the comparison of harm for specific pollutants. So it is
possible to achieve some consensus regarding harm values.
A national plan has to balance protection of individuals locally affected with
the common interest. But guidelines will have to be set as to what constitutes a
legitimate concern. These guidelines will need to be universally applied rather
than on a case by case basis. (The common metric for harm can be applied here as
well.)
If a plan is implemented which assures investors that the regulations for the
next twenty-five years will not be drastically changed without compensation,
then the funds for a massive replacement of U.S. coal-fired power plants will be
readily available. The result will be a reduction in the deficit and a more
competitive position in the world market.
For more information on this subject contact: Bob McIlvaine, 847 784 0012 ext
112, rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com. Related information is also shown at
Sustainability Universal Rating System.
Top Ten Air and Water Monitoring Companies Have 21 Percent of the Total Market
The top ten companies in the air and water monitoring market had 2012 revenues
of $4.4 billion representing 21 percent of the $21 billion market. This ranking
analysis has just been posted to the McIlvaine report, Air & Water Pollution
Monitoring World Markets. (www.mcilvainecompany.com)
Top Ten Air and Water Monitoring Companies
Company Ranking
Emerson 1
Endress + Hauser 2
Thermo Fisher 3
Horiba 4
Yokogawa 5
Xylem 6
Siemens 7
Mettler Toledo 8
Invensys 9
ABB 10
The market share for the top five companies is 17 percent and only 4 percent for
the next five companies. There are many thousands of companies participating in
this market with sales of less than $100 million. The total market includes
those companies providing periodic sampling. They often consist of a handful of
people with a modest investment in portable test equipment.
At the other end of the spectrum is Emerson which has complete automation
systems for air and water monitoring and control. It is also a major supplier of
combustion analyzers including oxygen and carbon monoxide. The forecasts include
distributed control systems and PLCs used in the monitoring process. For this
reason the top ten list includes not only Emerson but Yokogawa, Siemens,
Invensys and ABB.
Endress + Hauser and Thermo Fisher have the widest assortment of instruments,
but they are not at the top of the rankings because they do not supply extensive
software.
The automotive test system portion for Horiba is included because it is centered
on measuring the impurities in the gas discharged from engines. This is a
substantial portion of Horiba sales and, thus, elevates the company to the top
ten rankings.
Yokogawa is a $4 billion company. It is a world leader in the sales of DCS
systems. It supplies both air and water instrumentation. Its software revenues
were just increased by the acquisition of Soteica. The acquired company provides
optimization systems for controlling greenhouse gases, NOx and other pollutants.
For more information on Air & Water Pollution Monitoring World Markets, click
on: http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106extsup1.asp
Many projects in the oil and gas industry are listed in our new service:
Here are titles of projects added to our new sales leads database in NO49 Oil,
Gas, Shale and Refining Markets and Projects.
(Listed by most current date)
Sinopec Guangdong Oil Terminal EPC Project Won by CCCC Water Transportation
Consultants (Project Dated: 3/18/2013)
Enbridge Provides Details on Southern Access Extension (Project Dated:
3/18/2013)
Singapores First Floating Oil Storage Terminal Taking Shape (Project Dated:
3/18/2013)
ConocoPhillips Plans to Invest more in Shale Plays and Reduce APLNG, Oil Sands
Stakes (Analysis Dated: 3/18/2013)
Namibia, Angola May Build Oil Terminal along Border (Article Dated: 3/18/2013)
Pembina Pipeline to Proceed with $1Bln Expansion of NGL Infrastructure
(Project Dated: 3/18/2013)
Researchers Discover Solar Sponge Material to Help with Carbon Capture and
Sequestration (Article Dated: 3/18/2013)
Alberta Still Supporting Carbon Capture Projects (Project Dated: 3/18/2013)
Subsea 7 Awarded $380 Mln Statoil Contract Offshore Norway (Contract Dated:
3/18/2013)
Iraq Begins Design of $18 Bln Oil Pipeline to Jordan (Article Dated:
3/18/2013)
Otto Energy Named Preferred Bidder for Area 7 by Philippine Energy (Project
Dated: 3/15/2013)
ExxonMobil & Petrom Sign Agreement for Romgaz to Participate in Black Sea
Midia Block (Contract Dated: 3/15/2013)
Seadrill Orders Two Jack-Ups from Chinas Dalian for Delivery in 2015 (Order
Dated: 3/15/2013)
Maersk Oil with Gulf Drilling International Signs Drilling Contract in Qatar
(Contract Dated: 3/15/2013)
Emerson Wins $33 Mln Contract to Upgrade Automation on North Sea Statoil
Platform (Contract Dated: 3/15/2013)
Aquatech Awarded Permit to Operate PA Central Water Treatment Facility (Permit
Dated: 3/15/2013)
Brazil Approves more Oil Exploration Blocks for May Auction (Article Dated:
3/15/2013)
2H Offshore Awarded Steel Riser Contract by Llog Exploration (Contract Dated:
3/15/2013)
Statoil Awards Various Contracts for the Polarled Pipeline (Contract Dated:
3/14/2013)
Planned Pipeline Construction Completed in 2013 Climbs 73% from 2012 (Overview
Dated: 3/14/2013)
Loyz Energy Awarded Petroleum Service Contract in Philippines (Contract Dated:
3/14/2013)
Gazprom Neft Signs Kurdistan Halabja Oil Project Deal (Project Dated:
3/14/2013)
Illinois Fracking Bill Leads Way with Environmentalists, Industry Cooperation
(Article Dated: 3/14/2013)
CB&I Announces $180 Mln Offshore Award for Project in Norwegian Sea (Project
Dated: 3/13/2013)
Summit Power (Texas Clean Energy Will Use Scrubber and Wastewater Treatment )
(Project Dated: 3/12/2013)
Summit Power IGCC Moving Forward (Project Dated: 3/12/2013)
BP Angola Awards Technip with Five-Year Contract for Engineering and
Modification Services (Contract Dated: 3/12/2013)
DSME Awarded Contract for Dagny Topsides (Contract Dated: 3/12/2013)
Technip Awarded $40 Mln PEMEX Contract for Refinery Revamp in Mexico (Project
Dated: 3/7/2013)
For more information on: Oil, Gas, Shale and Refining Markets and Projects.
click on: http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php/component/content/article?id=72#n049
Here are the Headlines for the March 15, 2013 Utility E-Alert
UTILITY E-ALERT
#1116 March 15, 2013
Table of Contents
COAL US
Met Announces Contract Award from Amec for MATS Project
B&W awarded Contract to Deliver, Erect and Commission a Dry FGD System for IPL
(Iowa)
Long-delayed Wyoming Power Plant could see construction Next Year
Sierra Club sues DTE over Coal-fired Power Plants
Remember 2000 and the Gas Plant Crisis? - There is a Reincarnation in Europe
COAL WORLD
Drax Modernizing UK's Biggest Coal-fired Power Plant
GAS/OIL US
FGE Texas to build New 726 MW Combined Cycle Power Plant in Mitchell County
GAS/OIL WORLD
Alstom signs Contract to supply Chinese Power Plant with Gas Turbine
Generators
GE to supply Turbines and Technology upgrades for Emirates Aluminum Smelter
Complex
Kobe Steel Conducts Environmental Assessment to Build Gas-Fired Power Plant in
Moka
CO2
ADA-ES awarded 10 Contracts for Activated Carbon Injection Systems
B&W to begin Second Phase of CCS Project
BIOMASS
Foster Wheeler awarded Contract for Biomass CFB Steam Generator in South Korea
NUCLEAR
First Concrete pour begins at Summer Nuclear Unit
NRC denies Calvert Cliffs 3 Nuclear Plant License
BUSINESS
Nuclear Power Plants Will Spend $1.6 Billion for Valves Next Year
Race for World Dominance in Air, Water and Energy will be won by Companies not
Countries
Mergers create New Leaders in the $340 Billion Air/Gas/Water/Fluids Treatment
and Control Markets
Hundreds of Active Projects in $19 Billion Canadian Oil Sands Market
Dynegy to buy Ameren Subsidiaries in Illinois
Wood Group consolidates Gas Turbine Repair Centers
Dominion sells Three Merchant Coal- and Gas-fired Power Plants
CMI Energy and L&T to manufacture Small HRSGs for Asian and Middle East
Markets
Sempra Unit sells Natural Gas-fired Power Block for $371 Million
10th Clean Coal Forum 2013 (CCF2013), 13th-14th June, Beijing, China
HOT TOPIC HOUR
Inlet Air Pretreatment for Gas Turbines was the subject of the Hot Topic
Hour on Thursday March 14, 2013
The Industrial Boiler MACT - Impact and Control Options will be the Hot
Topic Hour on Thursday, March 21, 2013 at 10 a.m. CDT and again on Thursday
April 4, at 10 a.m. CDT
Upcoming Hot Topic Hours
For more information on the Utility Environmental Upgrade Tracking System, click
on: http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72
McIlvaine Hot Topic Hour Registration
On Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Central time, McIlvaine hosts a 90 minute web meeting
on important energy and pollution control subjects. Power webinars are free for
subscribers to either Power Plant Air Quality Decisions or Utility Environmental
Upgrade Tracking System. The cost is $125.00 for non-subscribers. Market
Intelligence webinars are free to McIlvaine market report subscribers and are
$400.00 for non-subscribers.
2013
DATE SUBJECT
March 21 Industrial Boiler MACT Impact and Control Options Part 1 Power
March 28 Mercury Measurement and Control Part 1 Power
April 4 Industrial Boiler MACT Impact and Control Options Part 2 Power
April 11 Mercury Measurement and Control Part 2 Power
April 18 Mercury Measurement and Control Part 3 Power
April 25 Control Technologies for Fine Particulate Matter Power
May 2 Flyash Pond and Wastewater Treatment Issues Power
May 9 Clean Coal Technologies Power
May 16 Power Plant Automation and Control Power
May 23 Cooling Towers Power
May 30 Air Pollution Control Markets (geographic trends, regulatory
developments, competition, technology developments) Market Intelligence
June 6 Report from Power-Gen Europe (update on regulations, speaker and
exhibitor highlights) Power
June 13 Monitoring and Optimizing Fuel Feed, Metering and Combustion in Boilers
Power
June 20 Dry Sorbent Injection and Material Handling for APC Power
June 27 Power Generation Forecast for Nuclear, Fossil and Renewables Market
Intelligence
July 11 New Developments in Power Plant Air Pollution Control Power
July 18 Measurement and Control of HCl Power
July 25 GHG Compliance Strategies, Reduction Technologies and Measurement Power
August 1 Update on Coal Ash and CCP Issues and Standards Power
August 8 Improving Power Plant Efficiency and Power Generation Power
August 15 Control and Treatment Technology for FGD Wastewater Power
August 22 Status of Carbon Capture and Storage Programs and Technology Power
August 29 Pumps for Power Plant Cooling Water and Water Treatment Applications
Power
Sept. 5 Fabric Selection for Particulate Control
Power
Sept. 19 Air Pollution Control for Gas Turbines Power
Sept. 26 Multi-Pollutant Control Technology
Powe
To register for the Hot Topic Hour, click on:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/hot_topic_hour_registration.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
www.mcilvainecompany.com
191 Waukegan Road Suite 208 | Northfield | IL 60093
Ph: 847-784-0012 | Fax: 847-784-0061
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