Coal-fired Power Boiler Emission Guidelines 2005 - Tables

Table 1. Comparison of Current Guidelines for New Coal-fired Power Plants (Calculated on Heat Output Basis)

Jurisdiction
Emission Limits (ng/J)
Opacity %
Mercury % Capture
unless otherwise indicated
 
Nitrogen
Oxides
Sulphur
Dioxide
Total
Particulate
BC 2003
368
530 to 8541
29
20
-
BC 2005
192
222.2
26.5
20
75% to 85%2
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Canada

192

147 to 11783

26.5

20

75% to 85%2
Alberta4 2005
192
222.2
26.5
-
75% to 85%2
Saskatchewan5
192
147 to 11783
26.5
20
85%
Ontario6
-
-
-
-
75% to 85%2
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

US EPA

618 to 7667

253 to 15313

38.3
        W = 0.00018
        B = 0.0026
        SB:
        wFGD = .0053
        dFGD = 0.0098
        L = 0.0183 (ng/J)8

Washington9 est.

380

215

17.7

20

n/a

Montana9 est.

112

138

30.3

-

0.0074 ng/J

Oregon9 est.

613

1474

51.1

-

 

  1. Varies with amount of waste coal used. The 854 ng/J limit applies if waste coal is > 75%.
  2. Canada, the provinces and territories have adopted the June 2005 Canada-wide Standard for mercury which specifies 75% capture of mercury in sub-bituminous and lignite coals and 85% capture in bituminous and blended coals.
  3. Limit depends on sulphur content in coal. For most B.C. coals the limit would be 147 to 736 ng/J.
  4. Emission guidelines for new plants or major upgrades announced March 2004 and effective 2006. Note: no guideline for opacity.
  5. By policy, Saskatchewan has decided to follow the federal (Canada) guidelines for new plants.
  6. Ontario controls coal-fired power plant emissions through permits and an emission trading system with caps on nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide. Permit limits are based on ambient air limits and therefore are not comparable to the jurisdictions in this table. Ontario originally indicated that all coal-fired power plants will be phased out by 2007; this has been amended to 2009.
  7. Limit depends on type of coal: 618 ng/J for bituminous, 766 ng/J for all other coals. Note: NOx limit does not apply if waste coal is greater than 25% of the fuel.
  8. Limit depends on type of coal being burned; W = waste coal, B = bituminous, SB = sub-bituminous, wFGD = wet flue gas desulphurization, dFGD = dry flue gas desulphurization, L = lignite.
  9. US EPA New Source Pollution Standards (NSPS) limits apply as a minimum, however before any major facility can be constructed the operator must obtain a site-specific New Sources Review (NSR) permit which will often impose more restrictive standards. In this table: Washington limits from the Centralia facility built in 1971 (no new coal-fired plants proposed). Montana limits from the 116 MW Rocky Mountain Power facility started in 2004. Oregon limits from the Boardman facility built in 1979 (no new coal-fired power plants proposed).

Table 2. Comparison of Current Guidelines for New Coal-fired Power Plants (Calculated on Heat Input Basis).

Jurisdiction
Emission Limits (ng/J)
Opacity %
Mercury % Capture
unless otherwise indicated
 
Nitrogen
Oxides
Sulphur
Dioxide
Total
Particulate
BC 2003
125
180 to 2901
10
20
-
BC 2005
65
75
9
20
75% to 85%2
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Canada

65

50 to 4003

9

20

75% to 85%2
Alberta4 2005
65
75
9
-
75% to 85%2
Saskatchewan5
65
50 to 4003
9
20
85%
Ontario6
-
-
-
-
75% to 85%2
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

US EPA

210 to 2607

86 to 5203

13
        W = 0.00006
        B = 0.0008
        SB:
        wFGD = .00018
        dFGD = 0.0033
        L = 0.006 (ng/J)8

Washington9 est.

129

73

6

20

n/a

Montana9 est.

38

47

10.3

-

0.0025 ng/J

Oregon9 est.

208

500

17.4

n/a

n/a

 

  1. Varies with amount of waste coal used. The 290 ng/J limit applies if waste coal is >75%.
  2. Canada, the provinces and territories have adopted the June 2005 Canada-wide Standard for mercury which specifies 75% capture of mercury in sub-bituminous and lignite coals and 85% capture in bituminous and blended coals.
  3. Limit depends on sulphur content in coal. For most B.C. coals the limit would be 50 to 250 ng/J.
  4. Emission guidelines for new plants or major upgrades announced March 2004 and effective 2006. Note: no guideline for opacity.
  5. By policy, Saskatchewan has decided to follow the federal (Canada) guidelines for new plants.
  6. Ontario controls coal-fired power plant emissions through permits and an emission trading system with caps on nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide. Permit limits are based on ambient air limits and therefore are not comparable to the jurisdictions in this table. Ontario originally indicated that all coal-fired power plants will be phased out by 2007; this has been amended to 2009.
  7. Limit depends on type of coal: 210 ng/J for bituminous, 260 ng/J for all other coals. Note: NOx limit does not apply if waste coal is greater than 25% of the fuel.
  8. Limit depends on type of coal being burned; W = waste coal, B = bituminous, SB = sub-bituminous, wFGD = wet flue gas desulphurization, dFGD = dry flue gas desulphurization, L = lignite.
  9. US EPA New Source Pollution Standards (NSPS) limits apply as a minimum, however before any major facility can be constructed the operator must obtain a site-specific New Sources Review (NSR) permit which will often impose more restrictive standards. In this table: Washington limits from the Centralia facility built in 1971 (no new coal-fired plants proposed). Montana limits from the 116 MW Rocky Mountain Power facility started in 2004. Oregon limits from the Boardman facility built in 1979 (no new coal-fired power plants proposed).