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Greater
Baden Aquasco |
CHALK POINT TOUR NOTES
(These notes do not represent opinion or policy of GBACA.)
Pat Langley, Environmental Reporting - welcomed
Regional manager lead talk - showed photo - 1300 acres, certified natural wildkife habitat; silos used for cooling; steam is just evaporated water; don't use wells; do have very deep wells (11).
Film - 2400 mg watt capacity; safeguard environment; feed & enhance habitat for many soecies; ISO 14,000 standard environmental management system; burn coal, oil & gas; SMECO turban & 2 others primarily natural gas; water treated before discharged into river; tanks contain spills; Washington Gas owns pipeline. Coal burners remove over 99% of particles; emmissions released through tallest stack that's higher than Wash. monument. Brandywine Plant certified. Carry ash by truck. River has screens to prevent wildlife from entering. White plumes are steam. Raising fish & restocking river. Teaks Bar has oyster sanctuary - restricted from harvesting.
Tour - equipment displys GE symbols. Saw control rooms. Large gauges; if something fails, there's an automatic trip; screens actually looks into boiler - good during xtartup to see which jets are working; some units usually use coal; gas has sky-rocketted. Use coal from PA & WV; can get some sulfar out of coal. 3.5 per million sulfer, bu can't get gas in winter since needed for homeowners. Boilers are very efficient (units 1 & 2) are on almost alwzys. Units 3 & 4 are seasonal & run for about a day at a time; smaller combustion ones start quickly when needed - don' need a lot of power to start. Coal has a lot of minerals - 100 tons/hr. - a lot captur3d 8n ash. Continuous emmissions monitor (in photo) - SO2 = 2.5 - gives reading every 6 sec. Deregulation will makerate based on bid due to usage - comes from PA - P3EPCO uses ~6,000 mega watts per day.
Presentation - Largest plant in MD. 1964 2 coal fired super critical, 1975 2 gas-oil fired, 1970 2 black start combustion, 1990 4 combustion turbines, 1 SMECO combustion 1989; 200 employees; Clean Air Act 1978 (amended in 1990) - 6 criteria to reduce emmissions for all utilities - 12 monitoring sites, 6 rankings in attainment to extreme (CA); Clean Air Interstate Rule - pollutant reduction starting 2009 & another step in 2015 - NOx & SO2 - (vehicles are biggest contributor to NOx) - most of our air comes from west (Ohio) - regulations are regional - fine particles & ozone; air travels winds go to Calvert Co. most of time; CAMR Clean Air Mercury Rule - new rule to reduce mercury 30% by 2010, 70% 2018; complaints about ash falls on houses - usually mould & mildew - plant is minor (30%) contributor - trace amounts in coal - 1st regulation for boilers on coal; they do come out & analyze it if call to complain; moderate non-attainment for NOx/Ozone & PM2.5, all others in attainment. Power plants reducing emmissions better than motor vehicles & other sources. NOx & PM Improvements in Mirant systems - $27M 2006 for control technology; made changes in 1994, 2000, & 2003; in Morgantown will invest 2007-8 $165M - effects overall costs. Urea coming in is not hazardous. Coal unit emmissions limits - substantially below annual limit - .56 lb./MBtu for NOx, 2.45 lb. for SO2, Particulate matter .02 lb. (taken in stack); ratings continuously reports to state - recorded every minute, reduced to hourly. Fuel options each have downfall - gas, oil, coal, nuclear. 600 foot stack was put in & shorter ones capped; EPA took data wrong for NOx rating; SO2 rate 47th of 50, tons 48th of 50; report took top 50 out of ~350 - CO2 not in top 50, Mercury rate 36th in 50, lbs. not in top 50. Nuclear fuel is infinite whereas others are very limited. Fly ash is silica & alumina - non-hazardous & inert - like sand & used in cement - sold. Top flew off truck recently at 381 & 382 - truck contractor said they'd clean house - truck drivers are supposed to follow laws, incl. speed. Most trcks are Quality Millworks & have numbers on them. Will ask trucking co. to attend civic mtgs regularly. Ask to run radar on them. Rate reduction since 1994 gone down steadily 60+%. 3 point exceedence issue
Agriculture center tour
May '01, Apr '02, June '04 exceedence - required to report, find out why & take action - compliance within few hours. Reports are trying to push adherence to new standards with new technology & they're doing that. Have FT biologists to deal w/ wildlife, fish issues & environmental monitoring . 600 - 1,000 foot wells - all is recycled - used for cooling. 3.7M rock fish, 470,000+ yellow perch, + many more fish put back into river since they do suck up eggs.
Need to ask fire dept. about equip. available for Sept. 21 meeting to show movie. Ash storage site in Brandywine where gravel pit is; will fill & then will have to find another -new technology will make it more recyclable.
Would like to see chart comparing 350 plants - volume plays a role. Railroad industry not regulated, so they are relatively limited by coal they get.
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