Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a) General.
1) At a source with EGUs that previously had
not had any EGUs that commenced commercial operation before January 1, 2009,
for an EGU that meets the eligibility criteria in subsection (b) of this
Section, as an alternative to compliance with the mercury emission standards in
Section
225.237,
the owner or operator of the EGU may temporarily comply with the requirements
of this Section, through December 31, 2018, as further provided in subsections
(c), (d), and (e) of this Section.
2) An EGU that is complying with the emission
control requirements of this Subpart B by operating pursuant to this Section
may not be included in a compliance demonstration involving other EGUs at the
source during the period that the temporary technology-based standard is in
effect.
3) The owner or operator of
an EGU that is complying with this Subpart B pursuant to this Section is not
excused from applicable monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements
of Sections
225.240
through
225.290.
4) Until June 30, 2012, as an alternative to
the CEMS (or excepted monitoring system) monitoring, recordkeeping, and
reporting requirements in Sections
225.240
through 225.290, the owner or operator of an EGU may elect to comply with the
emissions testing, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements in
Section
225.239(c),
(d), (e), (f)(1) and (2), (h)(2), (i)(3) and
(4), and (j)(1).
b) Eligibility.
To be eligible to operate an EGU pursuant to this Section,
the following criteria must be met for the EGU:
1) The EGU is subject to Best Available
Control Technology (BACT) for emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and
particulate matter, and the EGU is equipped and operated with the air pollution
control equipment or systems specified below, as applicable to the category of
EGU:
A) For coal-fired boilers, injection of
sorbent or other mercury control technique (e.g., reagent) approved by the
Agency.
B) For an EGU firing fuel
gas produced by coal gasification, processing of the raw fuel gas prior to
combustion for removal of mercury with a system using a sorbent or other
mercury control technique approved by the Agency.
2) For an EGU for which injection of a
sorbent or other mercury control technique is required pursuant to subsection
(b)(1) of this Section, the owner or operator of the EGU is injecting sorbent
or other mercury control technique in an optimum manner for control of mercury
emissions, which must include injection of Alstom, Norit, Sorbent Technologies,
Calgon Carbon's FLUEPAC CF Plus, Calgon Carbon's FLUEPAC MC Plus,or other
sorbent or other mercury control technique that the owner or operator of the
EGU demonstrates to have similar or better effectiveness for control of mercury
emissions, at least at the rate set forth in the appropriate of subsections
(b)(2)(A) through (b)(2)(C) of this Section, unless other provisions for
injection of sorbent or other mercury control technique are established in a
federally enforceable operating permit issued for the EGU, with an injection
system designed for effective absorption of mercury. For the purposes of this
subsection (b)(2), the flue gas flow rate shall be the gas flow rate in the
stack for all units except for those equipped with activated carbon injection
prior to a hot-side electrostatic precipitator; for units equipped with
activated carbon injection prior to a hot-side electrostatic precipitator, the
flue gas flow rate shall be the gas flow rate at the inlet to the hot-side
electrostatic precipitator, which shall be determined as the stack flow rate
adjusted through the use of Charles' Law for the differences in gas
temperatures in the stack and at the inlet to the electrostatic precipitator
(Vesp = Vstack x
Tesp/Tstack, where V = gas flow
rate in acf and T = gas temperature in Kelvin or Rankine).
A) For an EGU firing subbituminous coal, 5.0
pounds per million actual cubic feet.
B) For an EGU firing bituminous coal, 10.0
pounds per million actual cubic feet.
C) For an EGU firing a blend of subbituminous
and bituminous coal, a rate that is the weighted average of the above rates,
based on the blend of coal being fired.
D) A rate or rates set on a unit-specific
basis that are lower than the rate specified in subsections (b)(2)(A), (B), and
(C) of this Section, to the extent that the owner or operator of the EGU
demonstrates that such rate or rates are needed so that sorbent injection or
other mercury control technique would not increase particulate matter emissions
or opacity so as to threaten compliance with applicable regulatory requirements
for particulate matter or opacity or cause a safety issue.
c) Compliance Requirements.
1) Emission Control Requirements.
The owner or operator of an EGU that is operating pursuant to
this Section must continue to maintain and operate the EGU to comply with the
criteria for eligibility for operation under this Section, except during an
evaluation of the current sorbent, alternative sorbents, or other techniques to
control mercury emissions, as provided by subsection (e) of this
Section.
2) Monitoring and
Recordkeeping Requirements.
In addition to complying with all applicable monitoring and
recordkeeping requirements in Sections
225.240
through
225.290
or Section
225.239(c),
(d), (e), (f)(1) and (2), (h)(2), and (i)(3)
and (4), the owner or operator of a new EGU operating pursuant to this Section
must also:
A) Monitor sorbent feed
rate to the EGU, gas flow rate in the stack, and, if the unit is equipped with
activated carbon injection prior to a hot-side electrostatic precipitator, flue
gas temperature at the inlet of the hot-side electrostatic precipitator and in
the stack. It must automatically record this data and the sorbent feed rate, in
pounds per million actual cubic feet of flue gas at the injection point, on an
hourly average.
B) If a blend of
bituminous and subbituminous coal is fired in the EGU, maintain records of the
amount of each type of coal burned and the required injection rate for
injection of sorbent, on a weekly basis.
C) If a mercury control technique other than
sorbent injection is approved by the Agency, monitor appropriate parameter for
that control technique as specified by the Agency.
3) Notification and Reporting Requirements.
In addition to complying with all applicable reporting
requirements of Sections
225.240
through
225.290
or Section
225.239(f)(1)
and (2) and (j)(1), the owner or operator of
an EGU operating pursuant to this Section must also submit the following
notifications and reports to the Agency:
A) Written notification prior to the month in
which any of the following events will occur: the EGU will no longer be
eligible to operate under this Section due to a change in operation; the type
of coal fired in the EGU will change; the mercury emission standard with which
the owner or operator is attempting to comply for the EGU will change; or
operation under this Section will be terminated.
B) Quarterly reports for the recordkeeping
and monitoring or emissions testing conducted pursuant to subsection (c)(2) of
this Section.
C) Annual reports
detailing activities conducted for the EGU to further improve control of
mercury emissions, including the measures taken during the past year and
activities planned for the current year.
d) Applications to Operate under the
Technology-Based Standard.
1) Application
Deadlines.
A) The owner or operator of an EGU
that is seeking to operate the EGU pursuant to this Section must submit an
application to the Agency no later than three months prior to the date that
compliance with Section
225.237
would otherwise have to be demonstrated.
B) Unless the Agency finds that the EGU is
not eligible to operate pursuant to this Section or that the application for
operation under this Section does not meet the requirements of subsection
(d)(2) of this Section, the owner or operator of the EGU is authorized to
operate the EGU pursuant to this Section beginning 60 days after receipt of the
application by the Agency.
C) The
owner or operator of an EGU operating pursuant to this Section must reapply to
operate pursuant to this Section if it is planning a physical change to or a
change in the method of operation of the EGU, control equipment, or practices
for injection of sorbent or other mercury control technique that is expected to
reduce the level of control of mercury emissions.
2) Contents of Application.
An application to operate pursuant to this Section must be
submitted as an application for a new or revised federally enforceable
operating permit for the new EGU, and it must include the following
information:
A) A formal request to
operate pursuant to this Section showing that the EGU is eligible to operate
pursuant to this Section and describing the reason for the request, the
measures that have been taken for control of mercury emissions, and factors
preventing more effective control of mercury emissions from the EGU.
B) The applicable mercury emission standard
in Section
225.237
with which the owner or operator of the EGU is attempting to comply and a
summary of relevant mercury emission data for the EGU.
C) If a unit-specific rate or rates for
sorbent or other mercury control technique injection are proposed pursuant to
subsection (b)(2) of this Section, detailed information to support the proposed
injection rates.
D) An action plan
describing the measures that will be taken while operating pursuant to this
Section to improve control of mercury emissions. This plan must address
measures such as evaluation of alternative forms or sources of sorbent or other
mercury control technique, changes to the injection system, changes to
operation of the unit that affect the effectiveness of mercury absorption and
collection, and changes to other emission control devices. For each measure
contained in the plan, the plan must provide a detailed description of the
specific actions that are planned, the reason that the measure is being pursued
and the range of improvement in control of mercury that is expected, and the
factors that affect the timing for carrying out the measure, with the current
schedule for the measure.
e) Evaluation of Alternative Control
Techniques for Mercury Emissions.
1) During
an evaluation of the effectiveness of the current sorbent, alternative sorbent,
or other technique to control mercury emissions, the owner or operator of an
EGU operating pursuant to this Section does not need to comply with the
eligibility criteria for operation pursuant to this Section as needed to carry
out an evaluation of the practicality and effectiveness of such technique,
further subject to the following limitations:
A) The owner or operator of the EGU must
conduct the evaluation in accordance with a formal evaluation program that it
has submitted to the Agency at least 30 days prior to beginning the
evaluation.
B) The duration and
scope of the formal evaluation program must not exceed the duration and scope
reasonably needed to complete the desired evaluation of the alternative control
technique, as initially addressed by the owner or operator in a support
document that it has submitted with the formal evaluation program pursuant to
subsection (e)(1)(A) of this Section.
C) Notwithstanding 35 Ill. Adm. Code
201.146(hhh),
the owner or operator of the EGU must obtain a construction permit for any new
or modified air pollution control equipment to be constructed as part of the
evaluation of the alternative control technique.
D) The owner or operator of the EGU must
submit a report to the Agency no later than 90 days after the conclusion of the
formal evaluation program describing the evaluation that was conducted and
providing the results of the formal evaluation program.
2) If the evaluation of the alternative
control technique shows less effective control of mercury emissions from the
EGU than was achieved with the prior control technique, the owner or operator
of the EGU must resume use of the prior control technique. If the evaluation of
the alternative control technique shows comparable effectiveness, the owner or
operator of the EGU may either continue to use the alternative control
technique in an optimum manner or resume use of the prior control technique. If
the evaluation of the alternative control technique shows more effective
control of mercury emissions, the owner or operator of the EGU must continue to
use the alternative control technique in an optimum manner, if it continues to
operate pursuant to this Section.