As a scientist and a native of the Appalachian coal fields, I feel
compelled to respond to the article "A push for greater pollution
controls at proposed plant," April 5, by representatives of the
National Parks Conservation Association concerning the Virginia City
Hybrid Energy Center being planned for Wise County, Va.
I have testified twice at hearings before the Virginia Department of
Environmental Quality in support of this facility. I would not be
supportive of this project if I were not personally convinced that the
combustion technology selected, combined with additional
emission-control equipment will result in exceptionally clean
environmental performance.
As a scientist and a native of the Appalachian coal fields, I feel compelled to respond to the article "A push for greater pollution controls at proposed plant," April 5, by representatives of the National Parks Conservation Association concerning the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center being planned for Wise County, Va.
I have testified twice at hearings before the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality in support of this facility. I would not be supportive of this project if I were not personally convinced that the combustion technology selected, combined with additional emission-control equipment will result in exceptionally clean environmental performance.
I have personally taken an interest in this project because it is needed to supply the growing need for electricity in Virginia, and because the location of this plant in the coal fields is the way to the future for the region. By infusing the largest amount of capital ever invested in southwest Virginia to develop the most modern coal-fired generating plant ever constructed, Dominion will enable this valuable energy resource to be used in an environmentally acceptable manner.
The NPCA is not a federal agency and does not speak for the National Park Service. The criticisms of the proposed power plant, as stated by the conservation association, are at odds with the position of the U.S. Forest Service regarding the environmental performance of the facility. In December the forest service and Dominion reached an agreement that insures that the proposed facility will not harm sensitive natural areas, such as the Linville Gorge Wilderness. The forest service is clearly satisfied that the proposed design of the facility will not have an adverse impact on pristine wilderness areas.
In evaluating the proposed power station, the following facts should be considered:
• The Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion (CFBC) technology selected by the engineers at Dominion has been proven in power plant operations around the world as most efficient for capturing sulfur dioxide (a cause of acid rain) and is the most economic choice for producing electricity in this situation.
• CFBC technology will also allow the use of a host of different fuels available in southwestern Virginia, such as biomass (wood waste) and coal waste. Consumption of the piles of waste coal will reduce greatly the potential for contamination of water through runoff or leaching.
• The design of the Virginia City facility will utilize activated carbon injection to capture more than 98 percent of the mercury that is found in coal used by the plant and would otherwise be emitted.
• The facility will have a dry cooling system to reduce usage of water from the Clinch River to one-tenth of that used in a conventional power plant. This protects the ecology of the Clinch by insuring adequate stream flow.
The NPCA advocates the use of Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC); however, fluidized bed is a better selection for the Virginia City power plant for the following reasons:
• Gasification technology for power generation has not yet been proven commercially from an economic standpoint, and this project needs to proceed now to meet the need for new generating capacity in Virginia.
• The IGCC technology lacks the flexibility needed to utilize the different types of coal, biomass and coal waste that exist in southwestern Virginia.
• The technology is expensive to build and operate. The electricity made by the IGCC in several demonstration plants has not proven economical.
The location of the Virginia City Power Plant is ideal because of the available coal resources, the available work force, and the availability of coal seams where carbon dioxide can be injected as a means of preventing the emission of this gas into the atmosphere. The sequestration of carbon dioxide in unminable coal seams is now being developed by the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research at Virginia Tech. Dominion has contributed $500,000 to Virginia Tech as a cost share with the U.S. Department of Energy to demonstrate this important technology.
The Hybrid Energy Center, together with the nearby carbon sequestration demonstration, can become the model for this nation and other countries in showing how coal can be effectively used in an environmentally acceptable manner. It may well become a center for future research and demonstration of clean-coal-related projects, such as producing transportation fuels from coal and fertilizers from coal byproducts.
Virginia needs this power plant now. While it is true that coal poses environmental challenges, advances in technology have made it possible to continue to use this valuable domestic energy source in an environmentally acceptable way. The Virginia State Corporation Commission has conducted an intensive review of this project and has approved it.
The Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center is necessary to ensure sufficient electrical energy for the citizens of Virginia and will stand as a model of how coal can be used cleanly. It therefore should also be approved by the state Air Pollution Control Board.
Wolfe, a resident of Banner Elk, N.C., holds a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering. He is a charter member of the board for the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research at Virginia Tech. He has served on the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission at the behest of five Virginia governors.
Copyright © 2008, Newport News, Va., Daily Press
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