Analysis of 2007 Emissions from Power Plants and Other ... - MARAMA

Analysis of Emissions from Power Plants and Other Large Combustion Sources March 2011Page 1IntroductionThis report documents a series of data analyses of the variability of emissions from electricgenerating units (EGUs) and other large combustion sources by time period, geographicallocation, and type of 1) fuel, 2) combustion unit, and 3) control technology. The purposeof these analyses is to assist States in the Northeast / Mid-Atlantic region address policyrelevantquestions concerning emissions during periods of peak electricity demand.Previous analysis by states in the region has shown that emissions on days with highelectricity demand can be considerably higher than on other days.This report focuses on sources in the Mid-Atlantic / Northeast Visibility Union (MANE-VU) area plus Virginia. In this document, this region will be referred to as the MANE-VU+VA region. The MANE-VU+VA region includes Connecticut, Delaware, the Districtof Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia. Local air planning agencies includePhiladelphia and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.Data SourcesAll data used in these analyses were downloaded on September 15, 2009 from the U.SEnvironmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) web site (http://www.epa.gov/airmarkets).This EPA database contains information on all sources participating in several marketbasedregulatory programs designed to improve air quality and ecosystems. The most wellknownof these programs are USEPA’s Acid Rain Program, the NOx Budget TradingProgram, and the Clean Air Interstate Rule, which reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide(SO 2 ) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).EPA’s Clean Air Markets Division (CAMD) implements the federal rule found in Volume40 Part 75 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which requires an hourly accountingof emissions from each affected unit - i.e., sources participating in an emissions cap andtrade program under the Acid Rain Control Program, the NOx Budget Trading Program, orthe Clean Air Interstate Rule. Continuous emission monitoring systems (CEMS) are usedto provide emissions data unless the unit qualifies to use one of the alternative monitoringmethodologies specified in the rule. With few exceptions, the alternative methodologiesapply to oil-fired and gas-fired units. The Part 75 rule generally requires the use of CEMSfor units that combust coal or other solid fuel(s).The CAMD database contains data for both EGUs and other large combustion sources thatare required to report emissions. Data for all CAMD-reporting units were used in thisanalysis, including nonEGUs such as petroleum refinery process heaters and cement kilns.