Effects of the DOE proposals for new source performance standards for utility boilers firing anthracite coal

Technical Report · Sun Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5118614· OSTI ID:5118614

Currently, the most important expansion market for anthracite is the electrical utilities/power generation area, where the major competitors are other forms of coal. However, anthracite is more expensive to mine than bituminous coal and requires more expensive boilers and other plant equipment. Advantages of anthracite include its geographic location and, most importantly, its low sulfur content and slightly higher heating value relative to bituminous coal. Because of these factors, anthracite is competitive with bituminous coal as a utility boiler fuel only under those NSPS scenarios that permit significantly lower SO/sub 2/ removal costs for an anthracite-fired plant. The cost of electricity under various NSPS scenarios was calculated for a hypothetical 600 Mw 0.7% S anthracite-fired power plant located at, and supplied by, an open-pit mine in eastern Pennsylvania. Calculated costs were compared with those of a comparable of 2% S bituminous-fired plant at the same location. Because of the lower sulfur content of anthracite, the DOE sliding scale alternative would permit significantly lower SO/sub 2/ removal costs for the anthracite plant. For the example case considered, the DOE sliding scale would have the effect of making anthracite competitive with bituminous coal as a utility boiler fuel (as would a flexible interpretation of the EPA 85% scrubbing standard), i.e., electricity costs would be essentially equal. As discussed in detail in a previous report (ERT, 1978) the revitalization of the Pennsylvania anthracite industry would carry with it the potential for significant environmental and socioeconomic benefits in northeastern Pennsylvania. Uncertainties which might affect the viability of increased anthracite production under alternative NSPS proposals are discussed.

• Research Organization: Environmental Research and Technology, Inc., Concord, MA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC01-77RA08726
• OSTI ID: 5118614
• Report Number(s): DOE/RA/08726-T2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010900 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Environmental Aspects
015000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Economic
Industrial
& Business Aspects
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
ANTHRACITE
BITUMINOUS COAL
BLACK COAL
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CENTRAL REGION
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL
COAL MINING
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DESULFURIZATION
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUE GAS
FOSSIL FUELS
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
FUELS
GASEOUS WASTES
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
MARKET
MATERIALS
MINING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PENNSYLVANIA
POLLUTION CONTROL
POWER PLANTS
REGULATIONS
REMOVAL
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
US DOE
US EPA
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
WASTES