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Air Quality
Vectren has invested millions of dollars to improve air quality issues at
its power plants. New technologies have allowed us to dramatically reduce emissions
at existing facilities and continue to utilize Indiana’s most abundant natural resource, coal.
Power Supply Overview
Historic Emissions
Multi-Pollutant Compliance
Vectren’s Electric Generation System
Vectren Power Supply generates electricity with both coal-fired units
and natural gas-fired or oil-fired turbines. Our generation facilities include:
F. B. Culley Generating Station; A. B. Brown Generating Station; Warrick Unit 4
whose operation and ownership is shared with Alcoa; Northeast Gas Turbines,
Broadway Avenue Generating Station Gas Turbines and two A. B. Brown Gas Turbines.
Jointly, Vectren's electric generation fleet has the capacity to generate
1,295 megawatts to serve 141,000 customers in a seven-county area including
Dubois, Posey, Gibson, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Spencer and Pike.
F.B. Culley Power Plant - Newburgh, Ind., Warrick County
- Unit 2 - 90 MW, Coal-fired generation unit, established 1966
- Unit 3 - 270 MW, Coal-fired generation unit, established 1973
A.B. Brown Power Plant - Mt. Vernon, Ind., Posey County
- Unit 1 - 250 MW, Coal-fired generation unit, established 1979
- Unit 2 - 250 MW, Coal-fired generation unit, established 1986
- Unit 3 - 80 MW, Natural gas or oil-fired generation unit, established 1991
- Unit 4 - 80 MW, Natural gas or oil-fired generation unit, established 2002
Warrick Unit 4 - Newburgh, Ind., Warrick County
- Unit 4 - 150 MW, Coal-fired generation unit, established 1970.
*Vectren co-owns and operates this unit with Alcoa.
Natural Gas Turbine Peaking Units
- Bags 1 & 2 - 50 and 65 MW respectively, established 1971 and 1981 respectively
- Northeast 1 & 2 - 10 MWs each, established 1964 and 1963 respectively
Historic Air Emission Reductions
National Progress
Since the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970, emissions of air pollutants from the
coal burning electric power industry have decreased significantly.
SO2 (sulfur dioxide) emissions are down 40% since 1970.
NOx (nitrogen oxide) emissions are down 70% since 1970.
PM (particulate matter) emissions are down 30% since 1986.*
* EPA began nationwide monitoring of particulate emissions in 1986.
Vectren’s Progress
By contrast, air emissions from Vectren's system have decreased even more dramatically
in the same time period. Through the investment of millions of dollars in emissions
control equipment, Vectren’s power system is one of the best controlled in the Midwest.
SO2 emissions are down 90% since 1970.
NOx emissions are down 80% since 1970.
All units in the Vectren system are equipped with electrostatic precipitators
that remove PM at an average of 95% efficiency rate. (95% of PM is removed from
the flue gas prior to exiting the stack.)
Multi-Pollutant Compliance
In 2004, the EPA announced new multi-pollutant reduction requirements, mandating further
significant emission reductions in SO2, NOx and mercury. In May of 2005, Vectren filed a
new multi-emission compliance plan with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC).
When implemented, Vectren's entire electric generation fleet will be controlled for SO2 and
NOx and will further reduce mercury 65% across the system to meet the new mercury reduction requirements.
Included in phase one of the proposed project is an expenditure of approximately $110 million to fund
the construction of a flue gas desulfurization system (scrubber) at Warrick Unit 4 scheduled for
completion by 2009 and the installation of a fabric filter at F.B. Culley Unit 3 scheduled to be in service by late 2006.
Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) Emissions Control
In May of 2005, Vectren completed the installation of the last of four selective catalytic
reduction (SCR) devices on its baseload generation fleet. The $255 million project, which
began in the fall of 2001, was implemented specifically to target NOx emissions. The pollution
control equipment has successfully cut NOx emissions by 80% over the past four years and met
EPA and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) pollution reduction goals
ahead of regulatory compliance deadlines.
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Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) Emissions Control
Vectren uses a flu gas desulfurization (FGD) unit, often called a scrubber, to remove SO2
from flue gas. F.B Culley Units 2 and 3 share an FGD unit. The $107 million investment,
which has been in operation since September 1994, uses 140,000 tons of limestone annually.
A.B. Brown Units 1 and 2 each have a dual-alkali scrubber. The $18 million investment for
Unit 1 was implemented in 1979, and Unit 2’s $30 million scrubber has been operational since 1986.
Upon the completion of the Warrick Unit 4 scrubber and the shut down of F.B. Culley Unit 1,
the entire Vectren system will be scrubbed for SO2. But Vectren does not intend to stop there.
We are currently studying enhancements to the older dual alkali scrubbers at AB Brown to make
Vectren's control of SO2 emissions even more effective.
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The SRC unit at Vectren's F.B. Culley plant has been reducing NOx emissions since 2003.
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Particulate Matter (PM) Emissions Control
Vectren is one of the few Midwestern utilities to install state-of-the-art fabric filter technology
on units that burn high sulfur coal. In 2004, we replaced an existing electrostatic precipitator
at Brown Unit 1 with a fabric filter which increased the particulate removal rate
of the unit to 99% and greatly enhanced the ability of the unit to remove fine particulates.
Vectren will spend an additional $37 million to construct a fabric filter at Culley Unit 3 which
is expected to be in full operation by late 2006.
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The giant hoppers at the base of A.B. Brown's fabric filter collect soot and ash from
exhaust gas.
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Mercury Emissions Control
Studies by the Department of Energy and EPA indicate that the most effective mercury removal
strategy of mercury results from the combination of existing pollutant removal technologies employed
to remove SO2 NOx and particulate matter. Vectren currently employs this combination of control
technology across its system. This pollution control technology enables Vectren units within the
system to currently control mercury at high levels of efficiency. With the shut down of Culley Unit 1
in 2006, the installation of the Culley Unit 3 fabric filter in 2006 and the completed construction of
the scrubber on Warrick Unit 4 in 2009, we will further reduce our mercury emissions across the Vectren
system by 65%.
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