Power generation & health Understanding the problem Agreeing on - - PDF document

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Power generation & health Understanding the problem Agreeing on - - PDF document

8/9/18 Power generation & health Understanding the problem Agreeing on solutions Planning cooperative action Tonights discussion Toxic pollution and health impacts Air pollution monitoring and access to data in your community


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8/9/18 1

Power generation & health

Understanding the problem Agreeing on solutions Planning cooperative action

Tonight’s discussion

  • Toxic pollution and health impacts
  • Air pollution monitoring and access to data in your

community

  • Emissions from Stanwell power station
  • Power station licencing and compliance
  • Air pollution and your legal rights
  • Coal ash
  • Incinerating waste
  • Renewable energy opportunities and transition planning
  • Take action
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Health impacts

  • Fine particle pollution (PM2.5) causes premature death
  • Sulfur dioxide contributes to asthma, infant birth weight,

cardiovascular and repiratory illness, hospital admissions

  • Oxides of nitrogen effect lung function, asthma and

allergies even at low levels

  • Mercury has toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and

immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes

  • Coal ash contains arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium,

chromium and other toxic pollutants.

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8/9/18 3

2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 Arsenic & compounds 22 24 19 Beryllium & compounds 3 13 3 Boron & compounds 7,780 8,891 10,100 Cadmium & compounds 10 11 10 Carbon monoxide 768,300 803,690 831,980 Chlorine & compounds 23 39 43 Chromium (III) compounds 178 168 151 Chromium (VI) compounds 2 2 2 Cobalt & compounds 63 72 71 Copper & compounds 162 162 137 Fluoride compounds 395,007 520,017 483,007 Hydrochloric acid 1,420,000 1,460,000 1,890,000 Lead & compounds 110 123 110 Manganese & compounds 1,155 1,473 1,224 Mercury & compounds 57 72 101 Nickel & compounds 208 224 212 Oxides of Nitrogen 16,907,610 17,608,850 18,200,000 Particulate Matter 10.0 um 974,000 1,085,500 870,600 Particulate Matter 2.5 um 323,564 337,656 287,504 Sulfur dioxide 29,300,006 33,900,007 35,500,005 Sulfuric acid 309,000 357,000 374,000 T

  • tal Volatile Organic Compounds

92,691 96,953 100,424 Zinc and compounds 227 247 223 T

  • tal

50,500,180 56,181,192 58,549,924

Reducing emissions – some options

  • Fabric filters (bag houses) to reduce PM2.5
  • Flue gas desulfurisation and low sulfur coal to reduce

SO2

  • Selective Catalytic Reduction to reduce NOx

emissions

  • Coal washing to reduce mercury emissions
  • Ultrasupercritical power stations
  • Electrostatic precipitators
  • Planned retirement, transition to renewables
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“Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) is the most effective NOx control technology and is the dominant post-combustion NOx control method presently in use.” AGL Liddell NOx Reduction report, 2017

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8/9/18 5

Legal framework -Qld

Regulating power station emissions

  • Department of Environment and Science

–"Our job is to support industry growth and ensure the prosperity of Queensland’s environment."

  • Environmental Protection Act
  • Environmental authorities

Environmental Protection Act 1994

Environmental Protection Act

  • Chief pollution legislation in QLD
  • Imposes general duty not to cause environmental harm –

section 319

» 'any adverse effect (whether temporary or permanent and of whatever magnitude, duration or frequency) on an environmental value and includes an environmental nuisance'

  • Duty to notify environmental harm
  • Must not wilfully and unlawfully cause serious or material

environmental harm

  • Must not wilfully and unlawfully cause an environmental

nuisance

– unreasonable/likely interference with an environmental value

Power station operations are notifiable activities so need an environmental authority

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8/9/18 6

Environmental authorities

  • Chapter 5 EP Act 1994
  • Imposes conditions for operation
  • Must be complied with
  • “licences to pollute” - imposes limits for air pollution,

water discharges, land contamination, ash management Stanwell Power Station pollution licence conditions [EPPR00708913]

  • A1: All reasonable and practicable measures must be taken to

minimise the likelihood of environmental harm being caused

  • B1: The environmentally relevant activity must be carried out by

such reasonable and practicable means which may be necessary to prevent or minimise the release of contaminants to the atmosphere

  • B13: Water sprays are to be installed and operated on the coal

receiving system taking into account all reasonable and practicable measures to minimise the release of dust and particulate matter to the atmosphere

  • F17&18 Ash is to be capped with a minimium of 300mm of cover

material (topcoil) suitable for vegetative cover; a suitable grass cover must be established as soon as reasonably practicable

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8/9/18 7

What is unusual about the Stanwell Power Station pollution licence?

  • No fine particle, mercury or SO2 stack emission limits
  • The licence allows NOx stack emissions 13 times more concentrated

than allowed from power stations in the U.S.

  • B11: The total sulphur content of coal burned in the boilers is not to

exceed 0.8% on a monthly weighted average basis

  • B12: Biomass is permitted to be co-fired with black coal on the coal-

fired pulverised fuel boilers. The proportion of biomass must not exceed 10% of the total fuel load at any one time

  • E1: The Nature Refuge is not a noise sensitive place
  • F10: You are permitted to dispose of on-site by combustion in the

Station’s boilers: used ion exchange resin from water treatment, exhausted oil and chemical sorbents, boiler and superheater chemical clean iron and copper bearing waste solutions

100 200 300 1300 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 US Japan EU Stanwell

NOx emission limits comparison (mg/m3)

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Your legal rights

  • DES should be chief environmental regulator
  • Civil enforcement options under EP Act

– Any person can seek order in Planning and Environment Court to remedy or restrain a breach of the Act, EA condition breach, activity without approval – Easier process if your interests are affected by the

  • ffence, e.g. health impacts from air pollution

– Where interests are not affected, need leave from the Planning and Environment Court to obtain standing

  • EDO Queensland factsheet

Take action

  • Ask Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch to insist

that Stanwell install available emission controls

  • Communicate pollution concerns and complaints to

Stanwell 07 4930 3444

  • Report air pollution incidents 1300 130 372 (DEHP)
  • Read Stanwell Power Station’s permit
  • Subscribe for EJA’s fortnightly email updates
  • Like our Facebook page
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8/9/18 11

Questions and discussion