Improving Air Emissions: Boardman Plant Air Emissions

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	Boardman Plant Air Emissions
PGE at a Glance Corporate Information Generation & Transmission Awards & Recognition Careers News & Issues News Room Current Issues Determining Energy Prices Help for Tough Times Plug-in Charging Stations PGE Energy Strategy Climate Change & PGE Learn About Energy Smart Meters Boardman Plant Air Emissions Investor Relations Community & Environment Contact Us	About the Boardman Plant The Boardman Power Plant is a 585-megawatt coal-fired electricity generating plant in northeastern Oregon. It is one of PGE’s most cost-effective sources of power, producing electricity at a variable cost of about one-third to one-half the wholesale market price. Boardman provides about 15 percent of the power PGE delivers to its customers, making it a key resource in meeting Oregonians’ current and future energy needs. Air emissions proposal Since January, PGE has been working with stakeholders and regulators to pursue a new strategy for our Boardman Plant that balances environmental benefits, cost to customers and community impacts. While elements of the plan have changed, the central component of our 2020 Plan remains the same: transitioning the plant away from coal-generation by 2020 — two decades earlier than planned. PGE is working with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to develop the plan to meet new environmental regulations that affect operations at the plant, and with the Oregon Public Utility Commission, as part of our Integrated Resource Planning process. Most recently, PGE submitted its third proposal (221-page PDF) to install emission controls at Boardman. PGE’s revised plan still would close the plant in 2020, but goes even further than its previous proposals to reduce emissions. It would cut mercury emissions 90 percent and emissions of nitrogen oxides 50 percent. It also would cut sulfur dioxide emissions 50 percent and include testing of new technology — recommended by DEQ in one of its latest options — to further reduce sulfur. PGE developed its latest plan after concluding that new proposals released by DEQ in June were unworkable. DEQ’s proposals include a 2020 alternative that would cost almost $300 million more to implement. The other two options require even earlier plant closure, which would be more costly, threaten system reliability and don’t allow time to develop replacement resources and consider renewable options that may emerge. Of the options put forth by the DEQ to date, the previously-approved proposals make a 2040 closure the only practical option currently on the table. Additional benefits to 2020 plan PGE believes the 2020 plan is a solid strategy for meeting new environmental standards. But there are other benefits as well. It’s better for the economy Closing Boardman before 2020 would increase customer costs by hundreds of millions of dollars. It allows a reasonable timeframe for transition Gives PGE time to build or buy cost-effective and reliable replacement resources Provides time to consider broader range of replacement options, including renewables and biofuels Workers and the Boardman community need time to transition to other jobs, economic opportunities It enjoys broad support among Oregonians Thousands of customers and more than 65 Oregon business groups, labor unions and low-income advocacy groups have urged DEQ to support PGE’s plan. Window of opportunity closing PGE is concerned that if agreement cannot be reached on a workable 2020 plan soon, Oregon will miss this opportunity to end coal generation within the state decades ahead of schedule. If you would like to urge the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to support a 2020 transition, visit 2020Boardman.com and submit a letter online. More information about the Boardman Plant Issues in Perspective (PDF) on PGE’s 2020 Plan News release and PGE’s third proposal to DEQ on Boardman 2020 closure (221-page PDF) PGE’s April 9 addendum to our Integrated Resource Plan (PDF), requesting Oregon Public Utility Commission acknowledgement of a 2020 closure date contingent on DEQ approval of revised rules.		Algae shows potential for reducing carbon emissions PGE has concluded a successful small-scale pilot project using algae to capture and consume carbon dioxide emissions from the Boardman Plant. We are among the first utilities to undertake a dedicated investigation into using algae to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. In September 2008, PGE and Columbia Energy Partners began testing whether algae grown at Boardman can turn carbon dioxide and other emissions into biofuels and livestock feed. The process involves capturing CO₂ and feeding it to algae, which are being grown adjacent to the plant. During photosynthesis, the algae ingest CO₂ and release oxygen into the air, retaining oil and other byproducts. The oil is “squeezed” out of the algae and used to produce clean-burning biodiesel. The remaining biomass has the potential to produce ethanol and proteins for livestock feed. In the study, cooled gas from the exhaust stack was piped to horizontal, open-air tubs, where algae consumed the carbon dioxide and grew significantly faster than algae exposed only to air. It would take vast amounts of land to produce enough algae to consume substantial emissions from the plant using a similar, horizontal system. Our scientists and engineers suspect that a closed-air, vertical system fed by carbon dioxide would grow even more algae, using less land mass. That’s why PGE, in partnership with Oregon State University, proposes to conduct further research using closed-system, vertical bioreactors. PGE is helping fund OSU research to investigate different algae strains that could be used for this research. View our fact sheet (PDF) to learn more.