EPA proposes air permit for Capitol Power Plant

Press release:

EPA proposes air permit for Capitol Power Plant

(PHILADELPHIA --- August 29, 2012) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking public comment on a proposed permit for the Capitol Power Plant in Washington, D.C. that would provide the facility with the flexibility to begin using more-efficient natural gas rather than coal as its main source of energy.

The Capitol Power Plant was built in the early 1900’s and provides steam for heat and chilled water for cooling to nearby federal buildings, including the U.S. Capitol.

The proposed Plantwide Applicability Limit permit reduces the permitting burden for the plant in exchange for limiting its ability to increase emissions. The permit would establish a site-wide emissions cap for greenhouse gases, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter at the power plant.

EPA prepared the permit in response to an application submitted by the Architect of the Capitol, which oversees the Capitol Power Plant. According to the application, the Capitol Power Plant intends to install two natural gas fired co-generation units to provide steam and electricity to the Capitol and nearby buildings.

This permit does not authorize construction of the project, but it does streamline the permitting process, which is handled by the D.C. Department of Environment.

This co-generation project will allow the Capitol Power Plant to generate its own electricity, which has not been done since 1951. The co-generation units would also improve energy efficiency.

  The proposed permit is subject to a public comment period beginning Wednesday, Aug. 29 and concluding with a public hearing from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 1, at the Washington Council of Governments, 777 North Capitol Street, NE, # 300. A copy of the draft permit is available online at http://www.epa.gov/reg3artd/. 

U.S. Attorney and EPA Announce Settlement with City of Gloucester

Press release:

News Release
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
New England Regional Office
August 23, 2012

Contact:    U.S. EPA: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017
                  U.S. Attorney’s Office: Christina DiIorio-Sterling, (617)748-3356

U.S. Attorney and EPA Announce Settlement with City of Gloucester
Settlement Ensures that Gloucester Continues to Improve Treatment Plant and Addresses Sewer Overflows

(Boston, Mass. – Aug. 23, 2012) – Under the terms of a modified Consent Decree lodged in federal court today, the City of Gloucester will upgrade its sewage treatment plant and work to stem overflows from its sewer system.  The modified Consent Decree stems from a federal enforcement action brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Office of the Attorney General of Massachusetts, on behalf of the Department of Environmental Protection.

United States Attorney Carmen Ortiz said, “Compliance with the federal Clean Water Act is critical for the health and safety of the citizens of our Commonwealth.  I am pleased that the City of Gloucester agreed to this modified Consent Decree, which will continue to improve the water quality in Gloucester Harbor.”

“This settlement should keep the City of Gloucester on the right track,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England region.  “Directing more concentrated efforts at maintaining treatment facilities and increasing cooperation between city departments will better protect Gloucester’s vital coastline.”

“We are pleased that the City of Gloucester will be taking steps necessary to protect its historic harbor and beaches,” said Attorney General Martha Coakley.  “These measures are crucially important as we work to ensure that our waters continue to be an invaluable resource for our coastal communities and the Commonwealth.”

Gloucester’s existing primary Treatment Plant is nearly 30 years old, and while the City has recently completed important upgrades, the system is in need of additional repair and rehabilitation to meet the terms and conditions of the current discharge permit.  Maintenance has been inadequate and parts have not been replaced in a timely manner.  These problems have resulted in discharges of poorly treated sewage in violation of the City’s permit.  Under the Consent Decree, the City will address these problems.

Gloucester’s combined sewer system is designed to collect stormwater runoff, domestic sewage and industrial waste water in the same pipes and convey these wastewaters to the Treatment Plant.  The City’s system also includes several combined sewer overflow (CSO) outfalls, which discharge untreated wastewater when flows exceed the system’s capacity, typically during significant wet weather events.  The City’s CSO discharges violate the provisions of the Clean Water Act, and the Massachusetts Water Quality Standards.  The City initially developed a long-term CSO control plan in 2005.  The Modified Consent Decree replaces the 2005 CSO control plan, with a new, more cost-effective approach to mitigate and in some cases eliminate CSO discharges.  Implementation of this work will serve to improve water quality at Pavilion Beach and in Gloucester Harbor.

The City’s NPDES permit, however, does not allow overflows during dry weather.  Dry weather discharges occurred in Gloucester when there was still capacity in the system because the City did not pay close enough attention to operating the system.  The City has addressed the dry weather overflows and will work to minimize wet-weather other overflows under the Consent Decree.  Because of the City’s financial condition, the consent decree modification does not impose a penalty for the violations leading to this action. 

More information: The Consent Decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court.  Once it is published in the Federal Register, a copy of the consent decree will be available on the Justice Department Web site at http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html

###

Upgrades at Fairmont Water Plant to Strengthen Public Health Protections, Help Economy

Press release:

Upgrades at Fairmont Water Plant

to Strengthen Public Health Protections, Help Economy

Project Benefits from Nearly $9 Million in Federal Funds

FAIRMONT, W.Va. (August 20, 2012) – Federal, state and local officials today marked completion of major improvements to the Fairmont Water Filtration Plant that will provide added drinking water protections and promote economic investment in the area.

The $12.1 million upgrade was largely financed with $8.8 million in federal funds awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including $4.4 million from the federal Recovery Act.

“The improvements to this plant are a prime example of how the Recovery Act and other federal funds are making a positive difference every day in our communities and lives,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “Not only are we creating a facility to meet current and future water demands, we’re also opening the door to additional economic investment in this area – bringing permanent jobs and positive impacts to the local and regional economy.”

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the plant today, Garvin also acknowledged Fairmont officials for a national Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Sustainable Public Health Protection Award for furthering the goal of clean and safe water through exceptional planning, management and finance. Fairmont was nominated for the award by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

Fairmont’s water filtration plant is the fourth-largest publicly-owned water utility in West Virginia, providing water service to approximately 50,000 customers, including more than 13,500 direct customers in Fairmont as well as resale customers in 10 municipalities in four surrounding counties.

The plant’s upgraded water treatment process now fully utilizes membrane technology, which provides nearly 100 percent protection against waterborne pathogens and produces high quality, safe drinking water.

The upgrades to the handling of waste material at the plant will eventually eliminate effluent discharge into nearby surface water, thereby decreasing the demand on the downstream Fairmont Wastewater Treatment Plant and providing additional environmental benefits.

For information on EPA’s Recovery Act projects, visit www.epa.gov/recovery/.

Energy Department Announces New Technical Review to Assess Black Cells at Hanford’s Waste Treatment Plant

News release from the U.S. Dept. of Energy:

Energy Department Announces New Technical Review to Assess Black Cells at Hanford’s Waste Treatment Plant

August 2, 2012 - 12:15pm

News Media Contact

• (202) 586-4940

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Energy announced today that Secretary of Energy Steven Chu has assembled a group of  independent technical experts  to assess the Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment Plant (WTP), specifically as it relates to the facility’s “black cells.” The review involves the plant’s capability, as designed, to detect equipment failure and to repair failed equipment inside the WTP’s black cells.  Black cells are enclosed concrete rooms within the WTP Pretreatment facility that contain tanks and piping.  Due to high levels of radioactivity once the plant begins operations, the cells are designed to be sealed with no access by personnel over the anticipated 40-year operating life span of the plant.  The review will include the individual input of technical experts in a variety of fields.

“I will be receiving input from each of these highly capable experts to help improve our ability to detect and address any potential issues in the black cells that could arise during the course of the Waste Treatment Plant’s operational life,” said Chu.  “These experts have a reputation for developing creative solutions to highly technical issues and their independent advice will enable us to integrate worthwhile ideas into the design of the plant before construction is completed.”

The WTP is being designed and built to treat millions of gallons of tank waste from plutonium production at Hanford from the 1940s to the 1980s.  The equipment in the facility’s 18 black cells is designed to operate without moving mechanical parts that would require maintenance. DOE is now reviewing that technical approach to determine whether or not those areas can or should be accessible for monitoring and repairing equipment once operations begin.

Secretary Chu and the independent experts will begin reviewing information about WTP this week and are expected to visit the Hanford Site in the coming months. The principal purposes of the review are to assess the plant’s capability to detect equipment vulnerabilities or failures in the black cells, assess plans to repair those systems, and recommend any design changes or operational enhancements that may be needed.  The Department has named William Hamel, the Assistant Manager for Infrastructure at Idaho, as the lead federal employee to facilitate this review.  Hamel, an employee of the Office of Nuclear Energy, has in-depth knowledge and experience with black cell designs and vitrification operations.

“We welcome this assessment and look forward to assisting with this review at the Waste Treatment Plant,” said Scott Samuelson, Manager, DOE’s Office of River Protection.  “These individuals are known for both their expertise and capability to analyze complex problems and facilities and provide sound recommendations to the government.”

The following individuals will be participating in the review:

• Langdon Holton has over 35 years experience in radiochemical process engineering and operations, nuclear fuel reprocessing, waste separations and treatment and development of waste treatment technologies supporting programs within the United States, Germany and France.  Langdon Holton is employed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and has been supporting DOE in its oversight of the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant.  He has academic degrees in chemical engineering from the University of California, and graduate degrees in chemical engineering and business from the University of Washington.

• Dr. Thomas O. Hunter retired in July 2010 as President and Laboratories Director of Sandia National Laboratories.  Dr. Hunter joined Sandia in 1967 and became president in April 2005.  In May, DOE Secretary Steven Chu appointed Dr. Hunter as lead of the federal government’s scientific team that worked with BP officials to develop and analyze solutions to the BP oil spill. That work is continuing.  Dr. Hunter is a member of the Engineering Advisory Board for the University of Florida, Council on Foreign Relations, American Nuclear Society, New Mexico Technology Commercialization Council, the MIND Research Network, and the U.S. Strategic Command’s Strategic Advisory Group.  He is the author of numerous technical papers and presentations.  Dr. Hunter earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Florida, an M.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of New Mexico, an M.S. in nuclear engineering from the University of Wisconsin, and a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the University of Wisconsin.

• Dr. David Kosson is a Professor of Engineering, Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Professor of Chemical Engineering, and Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Vanderbilt University.  He also is co-principal investigator (with Charles Powers) of the multi-university Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP).  Kosson’s research focuses on management of nuclear and chemical wastes, including process development and contaminant mass transfer applied to groundwater, soil, sediment, and waste systems.  Kosson has undergraduate and graduate degrees in chemical and biochemical engineering from Rutgers University.

• Dr. Milton Levenson has more than 60 years experience in nuclear energy, much of it relating to nuclear safety.  His technical experience includes work related to nuclear safety, fuel cycle, water reactors, advanced reactors, and remote operations.  Levenson was at Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project in the early 1940s.  He had first-hand knowledge of the first fatal nuclear accident in the United States (known as the SL-1 accident in Idaho).  He led the technical team that responded to the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, and he was appointed to a special Soviet commission that investigated the Chernobyl accident.  His professional experience includes research and operations positions at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Argonne National Laboratory, Electric Power Research Institute, and Bechtel, where he retired as vice president in 1989.  Levenson is a fellow and past president of the American Nuclear Society, a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and a recipient of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers' Robert E. Wilson Award in Nuclear Chemical Engineering.  He is the author of more than 150 publications and presentations and holds three U.S patents.  He is also a member of the National Academies' Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board and has served on several National Research Council committees.

• Dr. Arun Majumdar became the first Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E), the country's only agency devoted to transformational energy research and development, in October 2009.  Prior to joining ARPA-E, Majumdar was the Associate Laboratory Director for Energy and Environment at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.  His highly distinguished research career includes the science and engineering of energy conversion, transport, and storage ranging from molecular and nanoscale level to large energy systems.  In 2005, Majumdar was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for this pioneering work.  He received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

• Dr. Richard A. Meserve is President of the Carnegie Institution for Science and Senior of Counsel, Covington & Burling LLP.  He is a former chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and is a member of the President’s Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future.  With his Harvard law degree, received in 1975, and his Ph.D. in applied physics from Stanford, awarded in 1976, Meserve devoted his legal practice to technical issues arising at the intersection of science, law, and public policy.  Early in his career, Meserve served as legal counsel to the President’s science advisor and was a law clerk to Justice Harry A. Blackmun of the United States Supreme Court and to Judge Benjamin Kaplan of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.  Meserve received his undergraduate degree from Tufts University in 1966.

• Dr. Per Peterson is Professor and Chair of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB).  He is a member of the President’s Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future.  After joining UCB in 1990 as an Assistant Professor he received a NSF Presidential Young Investigator award, and most recently received the Fusion Power Associates Excellence in Fusion Engineering Award and the American Nuclear Society Thermal Hydraulics Division Technical Achievement Award.  Peterson’s research interests focus on topics in heat and mass transfer, fluid dynamics, and phase change.

• Dr. Monica Regalbuto works in the Process Chemistry and Engineering Department at Argonne National Laboratory.  She previously served as a Senior Program Manager with the Office of Waste Processing with the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management, supporting technical risk reduction and uncertainty in the Department’s clean-up programs. From 2003 to 2008, Regalbuto served as the head of the Process Chemistry and Engineering Department in Argonne’s Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division and managed a group of 30 researchers. Regalbuto has academic degrees in chemical engineering from the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and graduate degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame.

Italian City Upgrades Wastewater Treatment Plant with GE Advanced Technology Making It the Second Largest Municipal MBR Plant in Italy

Press release:

17 July 2012

Italian City Upgrades Wastewater Treatment Plant with GE Advanced Technology Making It the Second Largest Municipal MBR Plant in Italy

 

• Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Honors the Inauguration of the Facility
• Tourist Region on Mediterranean Sea Was Facing Negative Environmental Consequences Prior to Upgrade with GE ZeeWeed* Ultrafiltration Technology
• Newly Expanded Wastewater Treatment Plant Increased Capacity to Serve 140,000 Residents in the Savona Province

LOANO, ITALY—July 17, 2012—Located on the Mediterranean Sea in a seasonal tourist region known for its pristine beaches, the area around Loano, Italy, had an increased need for wastewater treatment that ledServizi Ambientali SPA to expand its existing wastewater treatment plant. The upgraded facility features GE’s (NYSE: GE) advanced membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology and now is the second largest municipal MBR plant in Italy. The facility entered service in July 2012.

A number of individuals participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to honor the inauguration of the upgraded wastewater treatment plant located in the town of Borghetto Santo Spirito. Local officials Claudio Burlando, president of the Liguria region, and Angelo Vaccarezza, president of the province of Savona, as well as representatives from GE and Servizi Ambientali SPA attended the celebration.

This area is located in the Province of Savona, in the Italian region of Liguria, and is approximately 60 kilometers west of Genoa. The membrane plant was first constructed three years ago to initially treat 7 million liters per day (MLD) or 7,000 m³/d. With the new expansion, using GE ZeeWeed* technology, the wastewater treatment plant quadruples the flow and serves approximately 140,000 residents in the towns of Borghetto S. Spirito, Loano, Toirano, Boissano, Balestrino and Ceriale. The expanded plant handles a maximum wastewater flow of about 35 MLD or 35,000 m³/d, roughly the amount of water required to fill 14 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

“Our wastewater treatment plant went from simple primary treatment to advanced biological processes with membranes allowing us to reach high-level effluent quality. It is located on the seacoast and discharges into a sensitive ecosystem in a tourist region,” said Giovanni Paganelli, chief executive officer, Servizi Ambientali SPA. “Our newly upgraded plant now results in the best effluent water quality ever achieved, enabling us to serve a larger population and at the same time, diverting the cleaned wastewater for non-potable reuse.”

Under the contract, GE supplied Servizi Ambientali SPA with MBR technology and equipment featuring ZeeWeed 500D reinforced, hollow-fiber membranes, which have been proven in more than two decades of wastewater treatment and water reuse. ZeeWeed 500 technology is an advanced filtration technology that separates particles, bacteria and viruses from water or wastewater. Nearly 1,000 plants worldwide use this technology to produce superior quality drinking water and to meet or exceed stringent wastewater treatment and water reuse standards.

The upgrade of the plant’s wastewater treatment processes with the GE MBR technology features four ZeeWeed 500D trains, 24 cassettes and 1,152 modules. This expands the plant’s treatment capacity and improves the region’s water quality. Prior to the upgrade, the region was facing issues with poor treatment of sewage resulting in negative consequences for the environment and residents.

“Governments and municipalities continue to look for ways to properly treat wastewater and possibly reuse it for non-potable purposes, particularly in highly tourist regions such as Loano and Liguria. Discharging effluents with high quality characteristics obtained through ultrafiltration technologies, such as GE’s ZeeWeed, is essential to preserve the environment,” said Jeff Connelly, vice president, engineered systems—water and process technologies for GE Power & Water.

Click here for a video on the Servizi Ambientali SPA wastewater treatment plant.

* Trademark of the General Electric Company, may be registered in one or more countries.

About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

GE Energy works connecting people and ideas everywhere to create advanced technologies for powering a cleaner, more productive world. With more than 100,000 employees in over 100 countries, our diverse portfolio of product and service solutions and deep industry expertise help our customers solve their challenges locally. We serve the energy sector with technologies in such areas as natural gas, oil, coal and nuclear energy; wind, solar, biogas and water processing; energy management; and grid modernization. We also offer integrated solutions to serve energy- and water-intensive industries such as mining, metals, marine, petrochemical, food & beverage and unconventional fuels.

Follow GE’s water business on Twitter @GE_Water.

City of Wapato’s sewage treatment plant cited for exceeding ammonia levels and operating without a water discharge permit

City of Wapato’s sewage treatment plant cited for exceeding ammonia levels and operating without a water discharge permit

Contact: Derek Schruhl, EPA NPDES Compliance Unit, 206-553-1146, schruhl.derek@epa.gov; Tony Brown, EPA Public Affairs, 206-553-1203, brown.anthony@epa.gov

(Seattle—March 29, 2012) The City of Wapato, Washington will pay a fine for excess pollution discharges from its municipal sewage treatment facility in violation of its Clean Water Act permit, according to an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The City’s wastewater treatment facility provides secondary treatment of wastewater prior to discharge to the Yakima River. The violations took place on Yakama tribal land, but the facility is not tribally-owned.

The treatment facility exceeded levels of ammonia in its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit more than 431 times between 2006-2010. Ammonia constituted the majority of the violations. The Facility also discharged without permit between June 2010 and September 2011. The City will pay a fine of $57,000.

“Pollutant discharge limits safeguard our waterways against environmental harm,” said Kimberly Ogle, NPDES Unit Manager at EPA’s Seattle office. “Facilities have a responsibility to stick to approved levels. The City of Wapato is working with EPA to come into compliance.”

Ammonia occurs naturally and is also produced by human activity. Exposure to high levels of ammonia can cause irritation and serious burns on the skin and in the mouth, throat, lungs, and eyes. Ammonia and heavy metals like zinc and copper, even in small amounts, can be highly toxic to aquatic organisms, including fish.

For more information about NPDES, visit: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/

EPA Proposes First Carbon Pollution Standard for Future Power Plants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:March 27, 2012
EPA Proposes First Carbon Pollution Standard for Future Power Plants
Achievable standard is in line with investments already being made and will inform the building of new plants moving forward
WASHINGTON – Following a 2007 Supreme Court ruling, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed the first Clean Air Act standard for carbon pollution from new power plants. EPA’s proposed standard reflects the ongoing trend in the power sector to build cleaner plants that take advantage of American-made technologies, including new, clean-burning, efficient natural gas generation, which is already the technology of choice for new and planned power plants. At the same time, the rule creates a path forward for new technologies to be deployed at future facilities that will allow companies to burn coal, while emitting less carbon pollution. The rulemaking proposed today only concerns new generating units that will be built in the future, and does not apply to existing units already operating or units that will start construction over the next 12 months.

“Today we’re taking a common-sense step to reduce pollution in our air, protect the planet for our children, and move us into a new era of American energy,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Right now there are no limits to the amount of carbon pollution that future power plants will be able to put into our skies – and the health and economic threats of a changing climate continue to grow. We’re putting in place a standard that relies on the use of clean, American made technology to tackle a challenge that we can’t leave to our kids and grandkids.”

Currently, there is no uniform national limit on the amount of carbon pollution new power plants can emit. As a direct result of the Supreme Court’s 2007 ruling, EPA in 2009 determined that greenhouse gas pollution threatens Americans’ health and welfare by leading to long lasting changes in our climate that can have a range of negative effects on human health and the environment.   

The proposed standard, which only applies to power plants built in the future, is flexible and would help minimize carbon pollution through the deployment of the same types of modern technologies and steps that power companies are already taking to build the next generation of power plants. EPA’s proposal is in line with these investments and will ensure that this progress toward a cleaner, safer and more modern power sector continues. The proposed standards can be met by a range of power facilities burning different fossil fuels, including natural gas technologies that are already widespread, as well as coal with technologies to reduce carbon emissions. Even without today’s action, the power plants that are currently projected to be built going forward would already comply with the standard. As a result, EPA does not project additional cost for industry to comply with this standard. 

Prior to developing this standard, EPA engaged in an extensive and open public process to gather the latest information to aid in developing a carbon pollution standard for new power plants. The agency is seeking additional comment and information, including public hearings, and will take that input fully into account as it completes the rulemaking process. EPA’s comment period will be open for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register.

More information: http://epa.gov/carbonpollutionstandard/
R045

Hitachi Announces Partnership with SaskPower on Test Facility for CO2 Capture Technology

March 20, 2012

• PDF Download(PDF Type,54kbyte)

Hitachi Announces Partnership with SaskPower
on Test Facility for CO2 Capture Technology

Saskatoon Saskatchewan, March 20, 2012 --- Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT/TSE: 6501, "Hitachi") announced today that the Company has agreed to collaborate with Saskatchewan Power Corporation ("SaskPower") to jointly construct a Carbon Capture Test Facility, ("CCTF"). The test facility will be a part of SaskPower's larger "Clean Coal Project", which is a comprehensive initiative to select and apply emerging carbon capture technologies to coal fired power plants to manage their emission of greenhouse gases.

In this project equipment to capture CO2 will be installed at SaskPower's Shand Power Station (298MW), which is located near the city of Estevan, Saskatchewan. SaskPower and Hitachi will jointly invest 5 billion yen to cover the cost of the project. Operations of the CCTF will begin mid 2014.

While the demand for electric power is increasing in Canada, power companies are being required to implement countermeasures against global warming, including measures to suppress CO2 emissions, and to reinforce these initiatives, Canada is currently promoting the development of CCS (Carbon Capture & Storage) technology and the implementation of demonstration projects as a national strategy. SaskPower, in line with this initiative, is currently constructing a world leading, large CO2 capture and storage demonstration project at the Boundary Dam Power Station. Hitachi was selected to supply the steam turbine and generator for this carbon capture and storage demonstration project and will build the crucial system that is needed to efficiently supply the steam required for the CO2 capture and storage equipment.

Hitachi began researching and developing technology to capture CO2 in the 1990s and since then, the company has conducted demonstration projects using its own research equipment as well as domestic and overseas pilot facilities. SaskPower's experience in integrating CCS into commercial projects combined with Hitachi's expertise in Carbon Capture Technology will contribute to a comprehensive evaluation and demonstration of the equipment's overall reliability, economic feasibility, and the necessary properties to scale-up to a large, commercial-scale facility. Hitachi will produce and supply its CO2 capture solvent (H3-1) and the main equipment for the facility. The Hitachi Group companies Babcock-Hitachi K.K. (President : Tetsuro Wakino) and Hitachi Canadian Industries Ltd. (President and CEO : Tom Kishchuk) at the Province of Saskatchewan will be in charge of production and supply.

Through this demonstration project with SaskPower, Hitachi will focus on achieving commercial operations, reducing costs, realizing innovative technologies, and will contribute to the realization of a low-carbon society.

Hitachi is also deepening its collaboration with the province of Saskatchewan through exchange activities sponsored by the Japan Coal Energy Center and the Coal Division of the Natural Resources and Fuel Department of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and will further endeavor to contribute to this mission.

Overview of the CCTF Demonstration Project

Amount of CO2 that is captured	120 tons/day
Equipment Installation Site	Shand Power Station (Coal-Fired Thermal Power Station)
CO2 Capturing Process	Chemical Scrubbing
Evaluation Items	CO2 capture efficiency, energy usage, reliability, etc.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 360,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2010 (ended March 31, 2011) consolidated revenues totaled 9,315 billion yen ($112.2 billion). Hitachi will focus more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes information and telecommunication systems, power systems, environmental, industrial and transportation systems, and social and urban systems, as well as the sophisticated materials and key devices that support them. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.

Newf Public Lecture Series Coming to Argonne

New public lecture series coming to Argonne

(Download printer-friendly, PDF version.)

March 20, 2012.

ARGONNE, Ill. (March 20, 2012) — Leading scientists and engineering experts will speak at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory as part of a new public lecture series called "Argonne OutLoud." The series will highlight the cutting-edge research taking place at Argonne and topics of interest to the community at large. Lectures are free and open to the public but will require advance registration.

The first lecture in the series, taking place on April 12, 2012, at 7:00 p.m., will feature Argonne agronomist and environmental engineer Cristina Negri. Her presentation is titled "Changing the bio-energy equation: Turning environmental challenges into sustainable resources." The event will take place at the Argonne Advanced Photon Source Auditorium and will include light refreshments and a poster session preceding the lecture.

To register for this event, please visit www.anl.gov/community/outloud

Negri will discuss how plants can combat water pollution, clean the environment and create new energy sources. She will also share her vision for the future and discuss how these techniques can be used locally to restore brownfields and other areas while producing biomass for energy and revitalizing neighborhoods.

"I like to brag that I have the biggest lab at Argonne," said Negri, referring to the work she does on some of Argonne’s 1,500 acres. "Many times research has a single focus — only crops, only fuel, only environmental remedies. If you put all three together, you can often make one’s waste a resource for the other."

Negri leads Argonne's phytotechnologies efforts, which encompass the treatment of environmental problems through the use of plants. She has led several related projects, including the development of a phyto- and bio-remediation project in Russia after the Chernobyl disaster. She also focuses on input-efficient approaches to growing energy crops, water efficiency in growing biofuel crops and the advanced treatment and reuse of wastewater and other impaired water. More information about Negri and her work is available online.

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLCfor the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

By Eleanor Taylor. 

IEPA Grants Variance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 12, 2012    Illinois EPA grants DeKalb Sanitary District Provisional Variance from Permit Requirements Springfield—The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) has granted the DeKalb Sanitary District a provisional variance from certain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) water discharge permit conditions, in order to complete necessary repairs to the rotary distributor of the #2 trickling filter.   The DeKalb Sanitary District requested the variance in order to rebuild the rotary distributor, including bearings and seals. The distributor arms must be dismantled to achieve repairs. While the trickling filter is out of service the District will not be able to meet certain effluent limits and design maximum flow. The DeKalb Sanitary District is the designated authority for planning, collection and treatment of wastewater in DeKalb Township, Afton Township and parts of Cortland Township.  The District currently serves approximately 55,000 users.  The District receives and treats all wastewater at its Main wastewater treatment plant.  The DeKalb Sanitary District must continue to meet all other effluent conditions in its NPDES permit and must operate the treatment plant to produce the best effluent possible at all times. In addition, the District must closely monitor the Kishwaukee River and immediately notify the Agency of any adverse environmental impacts as a result of this discharge. The Illinois EPA has determined that any environmental impact from the variance must be closely monitored, and the Agency must be notified immediately of any adverse impacts; no reasonable alternative appears to be available; no public water supplies will be affected; no federal regulations would prohibit granting the request; and the facility would face an arbitrary and unreasonable hardship if the Agency did not grant the requested variance.  The provisional variance will end no later than April 13, 2012.

###

News Release from Progress Energy

03/08/2012

Progress Energy implementing post-Fukushima lessons learned

RALEIGH, N.C. (March 8, 2012) – In the year since the tsunamis that caused accidents at nuclear power plants in Fukushima, Japan, Progress Energy has worked with the U.S. nuclear industry, the Nuclear Energy Institute and global resources to understand the events and implement changes to make the company’s plants even safer and better protected.

The company’s response includes in-depth inspections and analyses, physical changes, additional equipment to monitor and respond to potential emergencies, and plans for additional safety and security initiatives.

Progress Energy Chief Nuclear Officer James Scarola has been named as a special liaison for the U.S. nuclear industry’s Fukushima response. In that role, Scarola is helping lead the continuing effort to analyze lessons learned from the Fukushima events and response, and work with regulatory agencies, the industry and other stakeholders to implement enhancement plans at each of the nation’s 104 commercial nuclear plants.

Immediately following the March 11, 2011, accident at Fukushima Daiichi, Progress Energy conducted thorough inspections at each of its four nuclear sites located in the Carolinas and Florida. Plant personnel reviewed each plant’s emergency-response capabilities, written procedures and engineering specifications to verify each site’s ability to respond in the unlikely event of station blackout or record flood.

In 2012, Progress Energy is working to establish industry best practices and improve the safety standards and margin. The U.S. approach to safety at nuclear power plants is based on three layers of safety: protection, mitigation and emergency response. A revised strategy represents a significant expansion of the second layer — the ability to protect the plant and public in extreme external events that may exceed those for which the plant was designed.

Meanwhile, the nuclear industry is in the process of reanalyzing natural disasters, including earthquakes and flooding, to assess the state of readiness in light of the Japan events. U.S. nuclear companies are also adding emergency equipment, such as portable pumps and generators, to perform key safety functions if off-site electrical supplies and several backup power sources are lost to permanently installed safety systems due to natural and/or man-made causes.

Among the additional pieces of equipment, Progress Energy is adding, at each station, a high-capacity pump to maintain the ability to cool the reactor core in an unlikely accident, additional diesel generators for power restoration to critical equipment, and other associated support components (i.e., lights, fans, small generators, direct-current power supplies, pre-staged tool kits, fuel transfer equipment, hoses, cords, fittings, etc.). These systems and pieces of equipment are in addition to the numerous layers of safety measures and systems previously in place.

“At Progress Energy, we are committed to the relentless pursuit of safety,” Scarola said. “We know we need to learn every possible lesson from Japan, and apply those lessons in our quest for continuous improvement. While our nuclear power plants are built to the highest standards, it’s our job to continue to raise those standards by learning from Fukushima — just as we have from best practices and past challenges alike. While there are numerous studies that have validated the safety of our U.S. nuclear plants, our commitment is to make the future operation even safer than it is today.”

Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN), headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a Fortune 500 energy company with 23,000 megawatts of generation capacity and approximately $9 billion in annual revenues. Progress Energy includes two major electric utilities that serve about 3.1 million customers in the Carolinas and Florida. The company has earned the Edison Electric Institute's Edison Award, the industry's highest honor, in recognition of its operational excellence, and was the first utility to receive the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates Founder's Award for customer service. The company is pursuing a balanced strategy for a secure energy future, which includes aggressive energy-efficiency programs, investments in renewable energy technologies and a state-of-the-art electricity system. Progress Energy celebrated a century of service in 2008. Visit the company’s website at www.progress-energy.com.

# # #

News release from DOE Office of Environmental Management:

Construction Begins on New Waste Processing Facility

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. – Construction has begun on a new facility that will help Los Alamos National Laboratory accelerate the shipment of transuranic (TRU) waste stored in large boxes at Technical Area 54, Area G.

The new facility will allow the Lab to repackage boxes as large as 25 feet long that contain TRU waste from as long ago as the 1970s. Mostly equipment stored in fiberglass reinforced boxes, the waste must be repackaged into containers that meet stringent requirements before it can be shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad for permanent disposal.

“This facility will help us accelerate shipment of TRU waste,” said Waste Program and Services Project Director Andy Baumer. “Since the majority of our TRU waste inventory that is in large boxes can be processed in this facility, it’s going to be our workhorse.”

The facility will feature a number of safeguards, including fire protection and high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtering. Construction is scheduled for completion in March 2012.

---

Workers construct a new facility that will help Los Alamos National Laboratory accelerate the shipment of transuranic (TRU) waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad for permanent disposal.

---

Before WIPP opened in 1999, waste generated from the Lab’s national security mission was packaged and stored at Area G. In order to close Technical Area 54, where Area G is located, the Lab must ship the stored waste to WIPP.

Cleanup of the Lab’s TRU waste was the focus of meetings held by EM, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) that recently resulted in the Los Alamos National Laboratory Framework Agreement: Realignment of Environmental Priorities.

Announced in January, the agreement came several months after the Las Conchas Fire, which forced closure of the Lab for several days and brought renewed attention to the need to remove Area G’s TRU waste containers. The agreement calls for the shipment of 3,706 cubic meters of TRU waste from the Lab to WIPP by June 30, 2014.

NMED and DOE agreed that cleanup schedules in the New Mexico Order on Consent, which has guided cleanup since 2005, needed another look in order to achieve desired cleanup at Area G. The agencies had a number of significant factors to consider: public concern over the risk the fire posed to the above-ground waste at Area G, existing Consent Order milestones and available funding. 

“This has been a great demonstration of NNSA, EM, and NMED working together to get to this point and the state of New Mexico will be the beneficiary” said Los Alamos Site Office Manager Kevin Smith.

---

Construction has begun on a new facility that will help Los Alamos National Laboratory accelerate the shipment of transuranic (TRU) waste stored in large boxes at Technical Area 54, Area G.

---

TRU waste consists of clothing, tools, rags, debris, soil and other items contaminated with radioactive elements, such as plutonium. Each of these man-made elements has an atomic number greater than uranium, so they are labeled transuranic, for “beyond uranium” on the periodic table of elements.

The Lab’s TRU Waste Program has shipped record numbers of waste to WIPP the past three years. During the past year, 171 shipments — more than 2,500 containers — of TRU waste were shipped safely to WIPP.

Utility to Purchase Low-Carbon Power from Innovative Clean Coal Plant

Blog post from the U.S. Dept of Energy web site.  The photo doesn't seem to go with the story, except that the photo depicts a coal gasification facility.

Utility to Purchase Low-Carbon Power from Innovative Clean Coal Plant

January 19, 2012 

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory demonstrated coal gasification in large-scale field experiments at the Rocky Mountain Test Facility (above) near Hanna, Wyoming. Coal gasification and sequestration of the carbon dioxide produced are among the technologies being used in the Texas Clean Energy Project. | Photo courtesy of llnlphotos.

Michael Hess

New Media Specialist, Office of Public Affairs

Carbon emissions for this plant will be...

• less than 10 percent of a conventional coal plant of similar output.
• less than 25 percent of an high-efficiency natural gas-powered power plant.

The Department of Energy is working with industry to keep the United States at the forefront of carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies. An innovative clean coal demonstration project in Texas, supported by the Department’s Office of Fossil Energy, recently took a big step forward.  

The Energy Department announced that CPS Energy of San Antonio will purchase approximately 200 megawatts of power annually from the Texas Clean Energy Project (TCEP) when the facility is complete in 2015. The $2.4 billion plant will receive $450 million in funding from the Department’s Clean Coal Power Initiative; of this, $211 million comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
This is the first purchase in the United States of low-carbon power from a power plant that uses carbon capture technology.

When operational, the 400-MW facility located just west of Midland-Odessa, Texas, will be the cleanest coal-fueled power plant in the world. Using a state-of-the-art process known as integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), the total amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere from this plant will be less than 10 percent of a conventional coal plant with similar energy output, and less than 25 percent of a high-efficiency natural gas-powered power plant.

It will also be capable of capturing 90 percent of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) it produces, as well as 99 percent of sulfur dioxide, 90 percent of nitrogen oxide, and 99 percent of mercury.

In the gasification process, coal is not burned as if you were shoveling coal into a furnace or a steam locomotive boiler. Instead, the coal is sealed in a gasifier -- an airtight chamber that allows only controlled amounts of oxygen to enter. Starved for oxygen, the coal bakes rather than ignites and creates enough heat and pressure in the chamber to squeeze hydrogen and carbon monoxide out of the coal. The gases squeezed from the coal are then processed into synthetic gas, or syngas.

Next, water vapor is added to the syngas, which chemically reacts with the carbon monoxide to create additional hydrogen and also carbon dioxide. The gas is then cleaned of impurities, and separated into pure streams of hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The hydrogen powers an advanced turbine to generate electricity and its carbon-free exhaust heats water to generate steam that’s fed to a turbine to produce even more electricity.

Of the nearly 2.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide to be captured annually at the Texas plant, 83 percent will be used in the West Texas Permian Basin for enhanced oil recovery -- a technique where carbon dioxide is pumped into a known reservoir where it expands and forces the oil out of the well. The rest of the captured carbon dioxide will go to producing urea -- a valuable compound with many industrial applications.

Today, approximately 80 percent of the energy consumed in the United States comes from coal, petroleum, and natural gas, with coal-fired power plants accounting for approximately half of the electricity generated. The implementation of clean, state-of-the-art coal-based technologies will help ensure America’s energy security while mitigating the environmental impacts of fossil fuel use.

DOJ and EPA Propose More Time for Baton Rouge STP Upgrades

From EPA Region 6 News Release:

DOJ and EPA propose more time to complete Baton Rouge Sewage Treatment Plant upgrades

Under proposal Baton Rouge will also complete additional sewer system enhancements

(DALLAS – Jan. 19, 2012) The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) today proposed that Baton Rouge be given additional time to upgrade its sewage treatment plants. As part of the proposal, Baton Rouge wastewater treatment plants will undertake additional projects to further reduce sanitary sewer overflows and ensure Clean Water Act compliance.

Baton Rouge has been upgrading its North and South treatment plants under a consent decree entered by the court in March 2002. Today’s proposal would extend the deadline from Jan. 1, 2015 to Jan. 1, 2018, and include implementation of a supervisory control and data acquisition system and installation of emergency generators at over 400 pump stations used in the sewage collection system.

The proposed consent decree modification will be lodged with the federal District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana pending solicitation of public comment on the proposed modification. Approval by the District Court is required before any modification of the 2002 consent decree would be effective.