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Recent Power Generation Projects

Biomass-to-energy plant - This project entailed developing an air permit application for a poultry litter waste-to-energy plant. Because this technology does not currently exist in the U.S., Air Sciences traveled with the client to the U.K. to get a first-hand look at one of these facilities. Operations, emissions, and control data were collected and used to develop the air permit application. Although the schedule was tight, Kevin Lewis (right) and the client found time for an English stout.


Waste oil-to-energy plant - This project consisted of obtaining an air permit for a unique waste-oil recycling plant coupled with an oil-fired combustion turbine. The agency was originally uncomfortable with this new technology because nothing similar to it had been permitted before. As a result, the original air permit application (submitted by another consulting company) did not progress for over 10 months. Air Sciences was then brought on board to resubmit a more comprehensive application (along with a draft permit) and to work directly with the agency. Three months after we submitted the draft permit, a final permit was issued for public comment.


Intermediate load combustion turbine plants - For these projects, the strategy was to permit several natural gas-fired combined-cycle combustion turbine plants with a non-base-load operating capacity. Although PSD applied to these projects, the required best available control technology (BACT) controls were non-traditional due to the limited operating schedule of the proposed plants. These projects required us to educate the state permitting authorities regarding the differences between the BACT requirements for these plants (i.e., without SCR) and the more stringent BACT requirements for traditional base-load plants (i.e., with SCR). Analyses of the agency's past BACT determinations and procedures were used to aid in this task along with one-on-one discussions with the state agency and EPA.