Mercury and CO 2 Emissions from the Power Generation Sector By
C.V. Mathai, Ph. D. Manager for Environmental Policy Arizona Public
Service Company Phoenix, Arizona A Presentation at the DENR/DAQ
Mercury/CO 2 Workshop Raleigh, North Carolina April 20, 2004 Slide
2 Overview Introduction Mercury Emissions and Proposed Regulation
Global Climate Change United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) Kyoto Protocol Multi-Pollutant Legislation
Summary and Conclusions Slide 3 Electricity and Fuel Diversity
Power generation is a major contributor to national air pollutant
emissions SO 2 :63% NOx:22% Hg:37% CO 2 :~40% A diverse fuel mix is
critical to ensure electrical reliability, minimize price
volatility, and strengthen national security Coal 51 % Gas 16 %
Fuel Oil 3 % Hydro/ Other Renewables 11 % Current Generation Mix
(Numbers exceed 100% due to rounding.) Source: Form EIA-759 and
Form EIA-860B Nuclear 20 % Slide 4 Slide 5 Contributions to Global
Anthropogenic Emissions of Mercury (t/yr) United States 155
(utilities: 48) South & Central America 194 Europe 560 Africa
271 Oceania 53 Rest of North America 71 Asia1232 Global total: 2536
T/y Source: EPRI Slide 6 Slide 7 Is there a mercury management
floor? Mercury entering the U.S. from other countries 0 to 20% 20
to 40% 40 to 60% 60 to 80% 80 to 100% EPRI TEAM regional model,
global chemical model Percent of mercury deposition that originates
outside of the U.S. PORTIONS OF THE U.S. WHERE MORE THAN 60% OF THE
MERCURY ORIGINATES IN OTHER COUNTRIES PORTION OF THE U.S. WHERE
LESS THAN 20% OF THE MERCURY ORIGINATES IN OTHER COUNTRIES Slide 8
Chlorine and Mercury Emissions Mercury emissions from power plants
occur in three forms: Elemental, Oxidized, and Particle-bound
Chlorine concentration in coal has a significant impact on the type
of Hg emissions: Lower the Cl level, higher the elemental Hg
fraction higher the Cl level, higher the oxidized and particulate
Hg fractions Oxidized and particulate Hg fractions are easily
controllable in conventional pollution control devices, but not
elemental Hg PM and SO 2 controls are not efficient to remove
elemental Hg, i.e., little Co-benefits Slide 9 Slide 10 Mercury
Removal with PAC Upstream of Fabric Filters and ESPs Slide 11 PAC
Performance with ESPs: Bituminous versus PRB Slide 12 Slide 13
Mercury MACT 1990 CAA required EPA to Report to Congress on the
need to regulate Hg emissions from power generation sources (Report
submitted in 1998) In 1999, EPA assembled the ICR database In Dec
2000, EPA made a regulatory finding that controlling utility Hg
emissions was necessary and appropriate triggering the CAA Maximum
Achievable Control Technology (MACT) provision For existing
sources, MACT is defined as the average emission limitation
achieved by the best performing 12% For new sources, MACT is the
best of the best EPA proposed three options to regulate Hg
emissions from coal-fired power plants; Rule to become final by Dec
2004 Slide 14 EPAs Proposed Mercury Rule EPA proposed three
approaches to control mercury from coal-fired power plants:
Traditional, plant-by-plant MACT controls, achieving 29% reduction
by Dec. 2007 (via CAA Section 112 MACT) A two-phased cap-and-trade
program, reducing Hg emissions by 69% by 2018, administered by the
EPA (via CAA Section 112(n)(1)(A)) A similar cap-and trade program,
but administered by the States and SIPs (via CAA Section 111)
Public comments are due by April 30, and EPA to finalize the Rule
by Dec. 15, 2004 Slide 15 Global Climate Change In 1988, the United
Nations Environmental Program and the World Meteorological
Organization established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) Based on the IPCCs 1990 First Assessment Report,
world leaders adopted the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil in 1992 UNFCCCs Objective is.... stabilization of greenhouse
gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent
dangerous anthropogenic interference with the Climate system The
UNFCCC has been ratified by a large number of countries, including
the U.S., and is in effect as of 1994 Conferences of Parties (COPs)
to the UNFCCC has been held annually since 1995 Slide 16 UNFCCC
Commitments Annex I Parties commit themselves... The policies and
measures will aim to return emissions of CO 2 and other greenhouse
gases, individually or jointly, to their 1990 levels... adopt
national policies and take measures on the mitigation of climate
change by limiting its anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse
gases... These Parties may implement such policies and measures
jointly with other Parties and may assist other Parties in
contributing to the achievement of the objective of the convention
Slide 17 THE KYOTO PROTOCOL In 1997 COP-3 agreed on a protocol
establishing legally- binding differentiated emission limits for 38
industrialized countries reducing their annual average GHG
emissions by about 5.2% below its 1990 level, during 2008-2012;
United States share is 7% below 1990 emissions The Protocol
incorporates several compliance flexibility measures -- five-year
emission budgets, banking, inclusion of sinks, six greenhouse
gases, international emission trading, joint implementation, and a
Clean Development Mechanism It marks a major first step towards the
objective of the UNFCCC, i.e., to stabilize atmospheric
concentrations of greenhouse gases at a safe level The Protocol
does not call for any emission limits for developing countries
Slide 18 U.S. Actions on Climate Change In 2001 U.S. withdrew from
the Kyoto Protocol; Bush Administration is embarking on a voluntary
program to cut carbon intensity (GHG emissions/GDP) There is
momentum building to initiate some form of domestic action on
carbon, independent of the Kyoto Protocol process A number of
States have initiated programs to reduce GHG emissions Proposals to
reduce CO 2 emissions from power generation sources are pending
before the Congress McCain/Lieberman Bill failed in the Senate by
43 to 55 Slide 19 Multi-Pollutant Legislation Several proposals are
pending before Congress calling for a coordinated, market-based
approach to reduce multiple pollutant emissions from the power
generation sector: Clear Skies Act (Bush Bill) Clean Air Planning
Act (Carper Bill) Clean Power Act (Jeffords Bill) Slide 20 The
Alternative under the Clean Air Act is a Complex Set of
Requirements Covering the Power Sector Phase II Acid Rain
Compliance Mercury Determination Proposed Utility MACT New Fine PM
NAAQS Implementation Plans Designate Areas for Fine PM NAAQS Ozone
Acid Rain, PM 2.5, Haze, Toxics 1-hr Severe Area Attainment Date
Compliance for BART Sources NSR Permits for new sources &
modifications that increase emissions 99010203 04 05 0607 08 0910
11 1213 14 151617 OTC NO x Trading 1-hr Serious Area Attainment
Date NO x SIPs Due Designate areas for 8-hr Ozone NAAQS Section 126
NO x Controls 1 NO x SIP Call Red- uc- tions 00 18 Final Utility
MACT Compliance with Utility MACT Assess Effectiveness of Regional
Ozone Strategies Regional Haze SIPs due Latest attainment date for
Fine PM NAAQS 3 Compliance for BART sources under the Trading
Program Second Regional Haze SIPs due Marg- inal 8-hr Ozone NAAQS
Attain- ment Date Possible Regional NO x Reductions ? (SIP call II)
2 Interstate Transport Rule to Address SO 2 / NO x Emissions for
Fine PM NAAQS and Regional Haze Note: Dotted lines indicate a range
of possible dates. 1 The D.C. Circuit Court has delayed the May 1,
2003 EGU compliance date for the section 126 final rule 2 Further
action on ozone would be considered based on the 2007 assessment. 3
The SIP-submittal and attainment dates are keyed off the date of
designation; for example, if PM or ozone are designated in 2004,
the first attainment date is 2009 EPA is required to update the new
source performance standards (NSPS) for boilers and turbines every
8 years Serious 8-hr Ozone NAAQS attainment Date Moderate 8-hr
Ozone NAAQS Attainment Date 8-hr Ozone Attain- ment Demon- stration
SIPs due In developing the timeline of current CAA requirements, it
was necessary for EPA to make assumptions about rulemakings that
have not been completed or, in some case, not even started. EPAs
rulemakings will be conducted through the usual notice-and-comment
process, and the conclusions may vary from these assumptions. Slide
21 Multi-Pollutant Control Legislative Proposals Proposed Emissions
Caps (Tons / Year) Actual 2001 S. 485 - Clear Skies S. 366 -
Jeffords S. 843 Carper Sulfur Dioxide (SO 2 ) 10.6 M 4.5 M in 2010
3.0 M in 2018 2.25 M in 2009 4.5 M in 2009 3.5 M in 2013 2.25 M in
2016 Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) 4.8 M 2.1 M in 2008 1.7 M in 2018 1.51 M
in 2009 1.87 M in 2009 1.7 M in 2013 Mercury (Hg) 48 (1999) 26 in
2010 15 in 2018 5 in 2008 24 in 2009 10 in 2013 Carbon Dioxide (CO
2 ) 2.47 B (est.)N.A.2.05 B in 2009 2.57 B (est.) in 2009 2.47 B
(est.) in 2013 Source: EIA AEO 2003 Reference Case Forecast, S.485,
S.366, S.843 Slide 22 Power Sector Emission Reductions Slide 23
Summary and Conclusions Mercury is a global air pollutant and U.S.
Power Plants emissions contribute only about 2% of the total man-
made Hg emissions Recent studies show that 60% or more of the Hg
deposition in the U.S., except for some areas in the East,
originate outside the U.S. Activated Carbon Injection can
effectively control mercury at coal-fired power plants EPA has
proposed three approaches to control Hg emissions from coal-fired
power plants -- A MACT program and two cap-and-trade programs; a
final Rule is expected by Dec 2004 Slide 24 Summary and Conclusions
(Contd.) Global CO 2 emissions and atmospheric CO 2 concentrations
are steadily increasing and there is increasing public support for
climate-related action The Kyoto Protocol appears to be dead;
global agreement for action on climate is likely only if the U.S.
provides leadership Current pollutant-by-pollutant,
source-by-source Clean Air Act regulatory program is complex,
costly, and inefficient An integrated emission reduction strategy,
like the proposed Clear Skies Act, is necessary to make cost-
effective and timely emission reductions to achieve improved air
quality and to ensure affordable and reliable electric power
supply