AUTHOR: Zhangfa Wu
DATE: October 2001
PAGES: 42
ABSTRACT:
This report examines current costs for air pollution control at coal-fired power plants. The costs are highly specific to the site and performance. They depend on technical and financial factors such as degree of retrofit difficulty, unit size, capacity factor, removal efficiency required, labour cost and interest rate, which vary from country to country and from plant to plant. The cost for a specific power plant should be evaluated for site conditions. As a general guide, particulate control can add to the cost of electricity by 2% whist FGD and SCR may increase the cost of electricity by about 10% and 6% respectively. Major reductions in the capital costs of air pollution control systems have been achieved. This is especially the case with FGD where the cost in the USA has decreased by 75% since the first installation in the early 1970s. The operating and maintenance costs of air pollution control equipment have also generally decreased. The decline in costs is due mainly to continued advances in technology and increased competition in the market.