U.S. Coal- and Oil-Fired Power Producers Mull Compliance with New Air Standards

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Compliance with Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) is a major concern in the U.S. power generation industry, as coal- and oil-fired producers must decide whether to install the necessary equipment by an April 2015 deadline.

A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's emission standards for hazardous air pollutants, which were challenged by some states and industry members.

Several major environmental regulations are set to be finalized this year and next year, including MATS, the Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CASPR), Greenhouse Gas (GHG) regulations and the Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) rule.

About 70% of coal-fired generating units already have the necessary equipment to meet the current MATS standards, but utilities are undertaking engineering and economic studies to justify installing additional emission controls on the remaining units, or to retire those units if the installations are not cost-effective.

The major emissions addressed by MATS are acid gas, toxic metals and mercury, which are removed or lowered under permitted amounts by various equipment installed on the boiler before the flue gas is released into the atmosphere.

When coal is combusted in a boiler, mercury is released, and particulate-bound mercury is typically removed by conventional particulate controls technology. But elemental mercury must be removed by additional controls, such as activated carbon injection system (ACIS), dry-sorbent-injection (DSI) systems or additives in the coal, which augment the removal of the elemental mercury in the flue gas.

Each coal-fired boiler, depending upon its existing equipment, could be required to be customized with additional equipment to address MATS.

Industrial Info is tracking 56 mercury controls projects, including activated carbon injection systems (ACIS), dry-sorbent injection (DSI) and baghouse installations, in North America that are valued at more than $3 billion in total investment value. These projects were initiated to comply with the current MATS standards.

For related information, see March 27, 2014, article - Changing Regulations, Fuel Sources Keep Power Industry in State of Flux.

Related to the MATS compliance regulations are coal-ash handling and removal projects in North America that are being tracked by Industrial Info. These projects have a total investment value of $395 million.

These types of projects are being constructed to remove the coal ash from the boiler more effectively, as well as to store the wet or dry ash before disposal.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.