Utilities worldwide have initiated more than 3,800 air pollution control projects slated for completion within the next eight years. In the McIlvaine Company online database Utility Environmental Upgrade Tracking System and the companion World Power Generation Projects, Bob McIlvaine identifies these projects at nearly 3,900 existing coal-fired plants and almost 800 plants under construction or being planned.
Nine-hundred-fifty boiler units already have scrubbers and another 950 are planned. More than half the planned units are in China and the U.S. However, India will also be a major purchaser. More than 830 selective catalytic reduction systems (SCR) are already in operation. But in the next eight years, more will be added than are now in place. Since China has just begun its NOx control program, it faces the challenge of retrofitting SCR to existing plants and adding SCR for new plants.
All 3,900 existing plants have some kind of particulate control. Most have electrostatic precipitators and a few have scrubbers. Presently 200 fabric filters are installed on coal-fired boilers. Although the U.S. has the most installations, Australia has the highest percentage. McIlvaine reports that many new particulate units will be fabric filters. For example, Mongolia has already replaced a few precipitators with fabric filters in order to meet more stringent dust emission levels. In order to meet the new PM2.5 rules, a number of U.S. utilities are also planning fabric filter retrofits. Therefore, particulate removal accounts for the largest number of projects.
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The installation of SCR units has increased SO3 generation and subsequent acid mist deposition. Either additive systems or wet precipitators are planned for 400 units, many of which are in the United States.
A number of states are taking steps to control mercury emissions. As a result, at least preliminary planning is underway on 850 projects, even though only a few mercury control systems are actually in operation. Most of the projects involve additives injected before the particulate collector or scrubber.
For more information on the Utility Environmental Upgrade Tracking System, go to http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/energy.html.