Pennsylvania Power & Light Co. is taking steps to reduce visible air emissions from the company's oil-fired generating units at the Martins Creek power plant.
PP&L has signed a consent order and agreement with the state Department of Environmental Protection that covers operational and equipment changes aimed at correcting the periodic "opacity" violations that have occurred at the oil-fired units.
As part of the agreement, PP&L will pay a civil penalty of $62,100 for violations that occurred from Oct. 1, 1994, to June 30, 1996.
Opacity is a term used to describe visible emissions, which is caused by water and gas vapors and dust-like particles. Visible emissions are a byproduct of combustion.
"As a company that's committed to good environmental performance, any violation causes us concern at PP&L," said Robert J. Shovlin, vice president of Power Production. "We have worked closely with the state DEP to develop a plan that will help to correct the situation."
PP&L identified the opacity violations through the use of new continuous emissions monitors built on the units' smokestacks. Data from the monitors are sent directly to the DEP and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. PP&L put the emissions monitors in operation during the middle of 1994 in compliance with federal Clean Air Act requirements.
"The new emissions monitors have detected that, during certain times, the oil-fired units are exceeding opacity standards," Shovlin said. "By upgrading equipment, changing the way we operate the units and switching to burning more natural gas, the situation will improve."Problems occur primarily when the oil-fired units are started and stopped and when electricity output is increased or decreased.
PP&L is upgrading and changing some equipment to improve the combustion process. Also, changes will be made in operating procedures that can help to reduce visible emissions. The company also will explore new combustion technology that could help the situation, Shovlin said.
Because burning natural gas creates significantly less visible emissions, the recent conversion of the plant's Unit 4 to burn natural gas in addition to oil also will help, Shovlin said. Unit 3, the other oil-burning unit, will be taken out of service this fall and modified to burn natural gas in addition to oil.
"We believe the equipment modifications and operational changes will help to reduce the visible emissions from these two units," Shovlin said. "It will be difficult to eliminate all the visible emissions, but we are committed to working with the DEP to correct the situation."
Under current law, opacity standards are exceeded when opacity is 20 percent or more for any aggregate period of more than three minutes in the course of one hour or when opacity is greater than 60 percent for more than one minute during a one-hour period.
The Martins Creek power plant, located along the Delaware River in Lower Mount Bethel Township, also has two coal-fired electric generating units.