New Pollution Control Equipment to Be Built at Kyger Creek and Clifty Creek Power Plants
"Adding selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems will enable Kyger Creek Plant in Ohio and Clifty Creek Plant in Indiana to comply with the latest air quality standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)," said David Jones, vice president - operations for Ohio Valley Electric Corp. (OVEC) and its subsidiary Indiana-Kentucky Electric Corp. (IKEC).
Combined, the two plants have 11 units with total generating capacity of 2,365 megawatts (mw). Kyger Creek Plant, with five units and total capacity of 1,075 mw, at Cheshire, Ohio, and Clifty Creek Plant, with six units and total capacity of 1,290 mw, at Madison, Ind., are operated by OVEC and IKEC, respectively. These companies were organized in 1952 by investor-owned utilities in the Ohio River Valley to provide the electric power requirements of the major uranium enrichment complex near Portsmouth, Ohio. OVEC and IKEC have been providing electric service to the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant since 1955.
"These two power plants will be able to achieve a combined NOx emission rate of 0.15 pound per million Btu (British thermal units, a measure of heat content). This emission rate complies with the EPA standard set in 1999," Jones said.
SCR installations for the two power plants represent the second phase of Nox reductions, in keeping with the two stages of the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990. Earlier, OVEC and IKEC spent $8.2 million for steam generator burner modifications to reduce NOx emissions. The phase one compliance program reduced the NOx emission rate to 0.78 pound per million Btu from 1.52 pounds per million Btu.
Construction of the SCR systems is expected to involve as many as 400 additional workers at each plant site during the height of activity in 2002.
SCR technology planned for the two plants is similar to the systems now in operation at American Electric Power's two-unit Gen. James M. Gavin Plant located near Kyger Creek Plant. Gavin's SCR systems began operation May 1 for the 2001 ozone season (May-September).
SCR uses a chemical reaction to break down NOx present in the exhaust gases released during coal combustion. NOx is broken down into elemental nitrogen and water.
Ammonia is used to initiate the chemical reaction. OVEC-IKEC will use an innovative urea-to-ammonia conversion system for the SCR's ammonia supply, comparable to systems installed at Gavin. The urea-based system employs nitrogen in granules or pellets that is converted to ammonia just prior to injection into exhaust gases. "This system eliminates health and safety concerns related to the long-term delivery, storage and use of anhydrous ammonia utilized in conventional SCR systems," Jones said.
AEP Pro Serv, Inc., will be general contractor for SCR construction at Kyger Creek and Clifty Creek plants. AEP Pro Serv, an unregulated subsidiary of American Electric Power, provides professional services in licensing, engineering, design, procurement, construction management, consulting and operations and maintenance to customers worldwide.
OVEC and IKEC were organized in October 1952 by 15 sponsoring utilities. Parent companies of the sponsoring utilities are American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), Allegheny Energy, Inc. (NYSE: AYE), Cinergy Corp. (NYSE: CIN), DPL, Inc. (NYSE: DPL), FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), PowerGen PLC (NYSE: PWG) and Vectren Corp. (NYSE: VVC). OVEC and IKEC employ 750 at its two plant sites and an administrative and engineering center in Piketon, Ohio. The Piketon facility also houses personnel who repair and maintain a network of 780 circuit miles of 345,000-volt transmission lines that connect the two power plants. Total annual OVEC-IKEC payroll is about $39 million.
Source: Ohio Valley Electric Corp
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