POWER August 2014 - 40

WATER AWARD
Jeffrey Energy Center's Constructed
Wetland Treatment System
Courtesy: Westar Energy
POWER's first Water Award goes to a plant that developed an innovative solution
to a common problem: the economic and environmentally responsible
disposal of flue gas desulfurization wastewater.
Gail Reitenbach, PhD
U
.S. coal power plants are finding that
they need to comply with an increasing
number of stringent environmental
regulations, and while nobody in any industry
looks forward to additional regulatory burdens,
new rules can prompt new thinking about familiar
processes that result in unexpected benefits.
Westar Energy's approach to handling
wastewater from its upgraded flue gas desulfurization
(FGD) system is a perfect example.
A Kansas Coal King
Westar Energy (Westar) is an investor-owned
utility serving nearly 700,000 customers in
east and east-central Kansas and is the largest
energy provider in the state. It owns or purchases
power from coal, natural gas, nuclear,
landfill gas, and wind generation facilities.
Westar's Jeffrey Energy Center (JEC) is one
of the fleet's four coal-fired plants; the others
are LaCyne, Lawrence, and Tucumseh.
JEC, located near St. Mary's, in northeast
Kansas, is owned by Westar (92%) and Great
Plains Inc. (8%). Unit 1 began operation in
1978, Unit 2 in 1980, and Unit 3 in 1983. The
plant burns low-sulfur coal and was recognized
by the Powder River Basin Coal Users' Group
in 2003 as that group's Plant of the Year.
Big Ideas from a Big Plant
At 1,857 MW, JEC is the largest power plant
in Kansas (Figure 1). With great size comes
great scrutiny, and JEC, like many coal plants,
40
has had to upgrade its environmental systems
over the years to comply with federal and state
regulations. JEC is also an example of how,
over time, new energy-related issues move to
the top of the list of society's concerns.
In a profile of the new constructed wetlands
system, Westar notes that at the dedication of
Unit 1, then-Vice President Walter Mondale
pointed to the JEC as representing the energy
wave of the future. At the time, shifting from
oil-fired generation-when many plants relied
on imported oil-to domestic coal was seen
as, and was, a major improvement.
Fast forward to our current energy and
environmental situation: As Westar notes,
coal " is now often begrudgingly accepted
as a necessary part of our energy portfolio.
While the political landscape still includes a
few who celebrate the use of coal, more are
critical, and the majority avoid a stance if
given the opportunity. In reality, if America
is going to retain affordable, reliable electricity,
coal is a necessary element. It's our job
to balance the cost, the environmental impact
and the operational effectiveness. Often that
balance requires innovation and partnership.
The JEC wetlands is a story of both. "
Westar says that nearly 25% of the original
cost of JEC was spent on air quality control
measures, including burning low-sulfur coal
exclusively. Among the most recent environmental
upgrades was rebuilding and upgrading
the FGD systems on all three units.
www.powermag.com
The original scrubbers were designed to remove
60% of sulfur dioxide (SO2
) emissions. The
new limestone slurry scrubbers were designed to
remove 95% of SO2
. Work on the project (by
URS, with Burns & McDonnell acting as owner's
engineer/construction management) began
in the third quarter of 2007 and was completed
in the second quarter of 2009. All three upgraded
scrubbers are in service and are meeting or exceeding
emission rate expectations. Westar says
the new system is delivering a 97% reduction in
SO2
emissions. (Co-benefit mercury emissions
were reduced by at least 25%, and particulate
matter was reduced by at least 20%.)
Installation of the new scrubbing system
triggered the state water antidegradation standard.
This requirement drove the need for evaluation
and installation of new water control
technologies for the FGD wastewater. Prior to
installation of the new system, Westar had been
dewatering slurry, landfilling the gypsum, and
discharging water to Lost Creek after clarification
and treatment for mercury removal.
The FGD system discharge required evaluation
and treatment for constituents that include
sulfate, selenium, mercury, and arsenic.
Westar partnered with the Kansas Department
of Health and Environment (KDHE)
to establish an agreement that temporarily
allowed the scrubber wastewater to discharge
to Lost Creek while Westar investigated potential
methods for treatment.
As Westar engineers looked for a costPOWER
| August 2014
http://www.powermag.com
POWER August 2014

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