Merchants power plants -- Challenges in air quality permitting
On April 1, 1998, the State of California completed its restructuring of the electric utility industry. Pending federal legislation may deregulate the entire US by the year 2003. The presence of this open market for electricity in California and other states has resulted in fundamental changes in the way power plants are operated as well as in the air permitting approach. This paper discusses some of the air quality permitting issues that can arise from the dynamic market-driven operations needed by competitive power plant developers. The trend in new generation facilities in California, and in much of the nation, is for natural gas fired, Frame-type turbines. This fact is illustrated by recent applications to the California Energy Commission (CEC). In addition, in order to be responsive to market-driven conditions, these CEC applications contain multiple operating scenarios. This presents a challenge in the air permitting process in terms of developing potential operating conditions and demonstrating compliance with ambient air quality standards. More frequently regulatory agencies are requesting the analysis of impacts from start-up emissions and occasionally even commissioning impacts. BACT/LAER standards have been reduced to levels that push the technology envelope, with nitrogen oxide emissions levels at 2.5 ppm, and these limits may go even lower. Even with state-of-the-art control technology, a large power plant emits hundreds of tons of air contaminants significantly impacting emission reduction credit availability and escalating the cost of offsets. Add to all this a very public air permitting process, and the result is numerous challenges in obtaining air permits for merchant power plants. This paper presents a summary of the issues and examples from case studies.
- Research Organization:
- Greiner Woodward Clyde, Santa Barbara, CA (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 20002247
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-990608--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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