Leading up to Valentine’s Day, UVA students protested Dominion’s proposal for a new coal power plant in Wise County, Virginia, including stunts on the Lawn. But what about the emission spewing steam plant on Jefferson Park Avenue?
Not dealing with the coal plant in our backyard is “a curious conundrum for local environmental advocates,” says Jeff Werner of the Piedmont Environmental Council. Fortunately, UVA has nearly completed a $73 million renovation intended to significantly reduce air pollution released by the coal-, oil- and gas-burning boilers.
 In 2003, the University steam plant produced 527 tons of sulfer dioxide. After $73 million in renovations, it’s supposed to be down to 107 this year. |
The biggest changes are to the boilers themselves. Prior to the renovation, the plant contained four primary coal-burning boilers, as well as one that burned No. 2 oil—a fuel loaded with sulfur. Now the plant contains two boilers that run on No. 6 oil, which is an ultra-low sulfur fuel. Two other coal-burning plants have been replaced, and the last has been retrofitted with a new sulfur dioxide and particulate scrubbing system.
All the boilers can run on natural gas as well, but use of gas is limited by both cost and the capacity of the natural gas pipeline that runs into Charlottesville. “During a cold spell, the city will curtail use of gas and force us to use other fuels,” says Jeff Sitler, the environmental compliance manager.
The new gas scrubbing system, designed to reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide released by the plant, has two stages. First, a lime and water slurry is added to the exhaust gas, reacting with the sulfur to form calcium sulphate. Then it’s blown through the “baghouse,” a series of 169 bags (like in a household vacuum) that the calcium sulphate adheres to. The goal is to reduce the emission of sulfur dioxide by almost 80 percent a year from the 2003 high, when the plant produced 527 tons of the pollutant. In 2006, when the plant was burning mostly the low-sulfur oil and natural gas, 237 tons were produced. The permit limit for this year, when the scrubbers are in operation for the first time, is only 107 tons. Emblematic of the tradeoffs between controlling types of pollution, the lime-infused ash cannot be recycled for concrete, but must be used as fill for construction projects.
Other changes include the replacement of the employee lunchroom with an emissions-monitoring station, which will sound alarms if any of the pollutants exceeds the permit levels, and a system to regulate the emission of nitrous oxides and carbon monoxide within the boiler itself.
As for the future, the University is looking into increasing its sustainability over the next few years. According to Cheryl Jones, UVA’s utilities director, a study is currently underway to investigate the use of renewable fuels for the heating plant.
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