Southern to Add FGD at Gorgas and Bowen

FGD and DeNOx
NEWSLETTER

May 2003
No. 301

Southern to Add FGD at Gorgas and Bowen

Southern Co. sent out requests for quotations (RFQ) for FGD systems at Alabama Power Gorgas Unit 10 and Georgia Power Bowen Unit 4. Responses were due May 1. Based on the responses Southern will be preparing a bidders list and will issue proposal requests in May. Decisions are slated for November. Startup of the FGD on Gorgas is scheduled for the first quarter 2008. Bowen is slated for the fourth quarter 2007.

Southern is a licensee of Chiyoda. It has its own engineering group (Southern Services). But since it has issued the RFQs, evidently Southern Co. is going to consider other suppliers. Southern expects to install a large number of scrubbers due to regional haze and “Clear Skies.” Scheduling early operation of these two units will both distribute the workload and give Southern insights in selection of bidders and organization of the future projects.

Gorgas 10 is 780 MW and emitted 30,000 tons of SO₂ in 2000 down from 60,000 tons in 1998. The addition of a scrubber will provide them the opportunity to again burn higher sulfur coals. Bowen 4 is 880 MW and emitted 50,000 tons of SO₂ in 2000 up from 35,000 tons in 1998.

Southern Services /Chiyoda could be one of the bidders on the final limited bidders’ list. Chiyoda has an arrangement with Southern which allows Southern to use Chiyoda designs for their plants. Chiyoda has a system in the Yates plant. One unique aspect of the system is the avoidance of pumps and spray headers. However, now ALSTOM has also introduced a scrubber which uses the incoming gas to sweep up slurry from the sump and create a turbulent scrubbing zone. So if Southern chooses, it will be able to receive bids on spray tower, plate and pumpless scrubbers from multiple vendors.

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