Alexandra
Wales - 11-Jan-2008 - Environment Agency
regulators have concluded that there is
no evidence from Drax’s petcoke trial to
show an increased risk to human health or
to the environment from the burning or processing
of petcoke at the site.
The two year trial has
concluded that the power station can burn
petcoke and remain within all the emission
limits set in the operating permit. During
the trial, no local air quality standards
were breached.
The trial showed a consistent
small net environmental benefit from burning
petcoke. Petcoke combustion improved the
efficiency of flue-gas cleanup equipment,
and led to lower concentrations of dust
being emitted from the station.
Drax Power now has permission
to burn up to 300,000 tonnes of specified
types of petcoke each year. It also has
permission to store up to 6,000 tonnes of
petcoke blended with coal, on the coal stockground.
Any requests for increases
in the amount that Drax want to burn must
be made to the Environment Agency and supported
with monitoring data. A steering group,
including local stakeholder representatives
and heath advisors will scrutinise these
requests.
Gerard Morris, environment
manager at the Environment Agency said:
“We are satisfied that all the results from
the trial fall within environmental limits,
and we will continue to monitor operations
closely.”
Permission to burn petcoke
can be withdrawn or restricted by permit
variation at any time if there is any evidence
of significant threat to human health or
the environment.
In 2004 the Environment
Agency gave permission for Drax Power Station
to do a trial on the combustion of petcoke.
The trial started with baseline monitoring
and then combustion of petcoke between June
2005 and June 2007.
Three types of petcoke
were burned in the trial including ‘Motiva’,
‘Baton Rouge’ and ‘Baytown’ and three separate
reports were submitted by Drax Power and
discussed by the local steering group, which
included local councils and Primary Care
Trusts.
Towards the end of the
trial, monitoring was also done to look
at possible environmental impacts of the
storage of petcoke and coal blend.
Notes to editors
Conclusions from the
trial
Station Emissions
• The trial confirmed
that the power station is able to burn certain
petcokes at up to a 15% blend of petcoke
with coal on single generating units and
remain within current emission limits
• The trial confirms that the tighter emissions
limits of the Large Combustion Plant Directive
(applicable to the power station from 1
January 2008) – particularly important for
sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen and
dust – can be met with the station burning
petcoke at up to 15% blend with coal
• The combustion of petcoke produces an
increase in electrostatic precipitator efficiency
that in turn, results in decreased emissions
of particulate matter from the station’s
chimney. This effect is linked to the sulphur
content of the petcoke
Environmental Impacts
• No air quality standards
were breached in the local environment during
the petcoke trial
• Air quality monitoring shows that levels
of pollutants in the local environment are
well below the appropriate health-based
standards and guidance. Those levels were
not detectably affected by the combustion
of petcoke at the power station
- Nickel – less than 10% of the most precautionary
health-based standard
- Vanadium – less than 4% of the most precautionary
health-based standard
