Pre-design and generic design specs
Two types of documents derive from the UDBS: pre-design specifications and generic design specifications for IGCC plants. A pre-design specification is a nonproprietary description of the design of a specific IGCC plant whose feasibility study has been completed and is ready to begin a FEED study. Essentially, it is a generic version of the feasibility study. As part of several EDPs, four pre-design specifications have been developed for different IGCC suppliers and coal types based on feasibility studies conducted by Duke Energy, Excelsior Energy, Nuon, and Southern Company.
By contrast, a generic design specification is a nonproprietary description of the design of an IGCC plant created after its developer has completed a FEED study. It corresponds to about the first half of the FEED study. CoalFleet intends to publish its first generic design specification early this year; it will be based on the FEED study completed by Southern Company and Orlando Utilities Commission for the recently cancelled IGCC project at the latter’s Stanton Energy Center.
Permitting histories and guidelines
The owner of a proposed power plant must obtain permits to build and operate the plant during its planning and construction phases. Obtaining an environmental permit for a new IGCC plant is a critical-path item before construction can begin. Given the limited regulatory experience base, permitting could cause significant delays in a project’s schedule.
Accordingly, there is a need for readily accessible information on past permits for use in system design and regulatory negotiations. To meet this need, the CoalFleet for Tomorrow program has compiled an IGCC permitting database in Microsoft Access format. The database includes narrative summaries of 18 existing or proposed IGCC plants, including descriptions of the facilities and the permitted discharge sources. The database also details permit conditions for plant operations (heat rate and hours of operation, for example), limits on air and water emissions, and the test methods required for compliance with the permit conditions.
CoalFleet also has developed a series of regularly updated IGCC permitting guidelines that summarize federal requirements for obtaining air, water, and solid waste permits for a generic IGCC facility, as described in the CoalFleet UDBS. These guidelines will improve the dialogues that owners of planned facilities have with regulators regarding IGCC plants’ technology, typical emissions, and appropriate monitoring and compliance approaches. By establishing a common basis for all IGCC permit applications, owners could also reduce the time needed to obtain permits.
Other advanced coal plants
The CoalFleet for Tomorrow program is using a similar process to develop design and permitting guidelines for USC PC and SC FBC power plants. Last year, EPRI published the first of these guides—Versions 1 and 2 of the CoalFleet Guideline for Advanced Pulverized Coal Power Plants, which are intended to help power companies define the technical requirements for a site-specific USC PC plant.
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