w~LINOlSPOLLUTION CONTROL BOAF~

February 2,

1978

ILLINOIS POWER COMPANY,

(Baldwin Station)

Petitioner,

v.

)

PCB75-~9

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

)

AGENCY,

Respondent.

OPINION

AND

ORDER OF THE BOARD

(by

Mr. Goodman):

The original Petition for Variance in this matt~?rwas

filed

with the Board on March

7,

1975

by

Illinois Power Company

(IP’)

for its Baldwin Station located near the town of Taidwin, Randolph

County,

Illinois.

The latest amendment to the

petition

for

variance was filed on October 12,

1977 aod supEr~desall prior

pleadings herein.

No hearing was held in this rr~t4~er,and no

public comment has been received by the Board.

Baldwin Station consists of three coal-fired boilers.

Two

boilers have a rated heat input of 5,788 million

btu

and are fired

with cyclone burners;

the other boiler has a rated heat input of

6,050 million btu and is fired with pulverized coal.

Each boiler

discharges through a separate 605 foot stack.

Coal analysis in-

dicates a heat content of 10,477 btu/lb. with an ash content of

11.26

and a sulfur content of 2.97.

Boilers No.

1 and No,

2,

which were on—line in late 1974, have hourly emission rate.~ ~f

about 30,000 pounds per hour at full load.

Total su1fu~: ~ioxide

emission expected from the three boilers

is about 96~000

pou;is

per hour.

The allowable sulfur dioxide emission rate pursuarr~to

Rule 204(e)

for Baldwin is 81,340 pounds per hour.

~

air quality data supplied to the Illinois Environmer~-alProtec-

tion Agency

(Agency) by IPC and the Agency’s own moniu~ingdata

from stations near the plant have not shown any violatio.~

of

air

quality standards.

No resident complaints have been received by

the Agency with respect to Baldwin.

29

—

117

---

Baldwin

is prosei~

iri~tallirgan intermi

~~it

control

system

(ICS)

consistii

~l

:ven

monitors

inS~~iLj~ed

in

a ring

around the

~:lant

to moni~::

sL~1ur

dioxide emi~i’n:~,

and

a 100

foot meteorological tower

c~ct:ec1at

the plant.

‘Fhe

data

fron.1

the monitors

in

the tower are

~

transmitted

to

Environmental

Research and Technology,

Incorcrted

(ERT)

at Lombard,

Illinois,

consultants for IPC.

The purpu:

cf

the ICS sy~tcmiis to predict

if and when Baldwin station emis~:

~IS

threaten to breach ambient

air quality standards,

at

c~hichti~~

Baldwin

Would

lower emissions

by shifting part of the load

to otler

stations

or

~ubstituting a

lower sulfur content coal at the boilers at Baldwin.

IPC has investigated permanent methods of

~nntrol of

sulfur

dioxide emissions,

including installation of a flue

gas

desulfuri—

zation system

(scrubber)

on one of the units in order to bring the

complex within the limits of Rule 204(e),

use of washed Illinois

coal to achieve a total sulfur content low enouqh to meet the

emission regulations, and the

u~eof

enough low sulfur western

coal to enable the plant to mee~

::~3

emission limitations.

IPC

alleges that,

since all three

of tde

methods investigated entail

considerable expenditures of m~:o and energy

to

meet the emission

limitations of Rule 204(e)

and

~ce

a regulation currently before

the Board, R75-5, may affect

i3~ndw:1n

station if enacted,

it would

be an arbitrary and unreasorahi

hardship to force Baldwin to make

a decision concerning sulfur c~

~trcl

at this time.

The Board notes that a decisiua in

L75-5

is imminent.

There

does not appear to be a serious environmental

problem

in the area

surrounding the Baldwin plant due to the emission of sulfur dio-

xide.

Baldwin requests a temporary emission level roughly 25

above the current limitation of 204(e),

and should be in a position

to predict and head-off any excursions above ambient air quality

standards for SO~at the station using its ICS system.

Under the

conditions in this case,

the Board finds that everyone concerned

would be best served if Baldwin’s compliance program was delayed

until resolution of R75-5.

The Board will therefore grant

variance from May 30, 1975 until resolution of R75—5 or until

June

1,

1979 whichever first occurs,

under certain conditions.

The Board notes that the granting of this variance does not signify

approval of an ICS system as such but rather indicates the interest

of the Board in results generated by such an experimental procedure.

This Opinion constitutes the finding of fact and conclusions

of law of the Board in this matter.

29

—

118

---

—3--

ORDER

It is the Order

of the Pollution Control Board that Illinois

Power Company be

granted variance from Rule 204(e)

of the Board’s

Air Pollution Control

Regulations from May 30, 1975

until

the

resolution of R75~5or June

1, 1979

whichever first occurs, under

the fol1o~ing

conditions:

1.

The aggreqate

emissions from Baldwin Power Plant

shall at no time

exceed 101,966 pounds of sulfur

dio-

xide per hour.

2.

The rate

of emissions from Baldwin Power Plant shall

not exceed

6

pounds of sulfur dioxide per million btu’s of

heat input in

accordance with methods outlined

in Rule

204

(g) (3)

of the Board’s Air Pollution Control Regulations.

3,

Illinois

Power Company shall install an intermittent

control system at the Baldwin plant

to be completed no

later than April

1,

1978.

4.

Following installation of

its intermittent control

system,

Illinois Power Company

shall submit its monitoring

data in monthly reports to the

Environmental Protection

Agency.

5,

Within 45

days

of the adoption of this Order, the

Illinois

Power Company shall execute and forward to both

the Illinois Environmental

Protection Agency,

2200 Churchill

Road,

Springfield, I1linoi~

62706 and the Pollution Control

Board

a

Certification of Acceptance and Agreement to be bound

to all

terms and conditions of this Order.

The 45 day period

shall be

held in abeyance during any period this matter is

being

appealed.

The form of said certification shall be as

follows:

CERTIFICATION

I

(We),

having read and fully under-

standing

the Order of the Illinois Pollution Control Board in

PCB 75-109 hereby accept

said Order and agree to be

bound by

all of the

terms and conditions thereof.

SIGNED________________

_______

TITLE__________________________

DATE

29—119

---

—4—

Mr. Dumelle concurs.

I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the

Illirois

Pollution Control

Board, hereby ceçti y the above Opinion and Or or were adopted on

the

~

day of~

,

1978 by a

vote

of

4c~

-

Christan L.

Moff~

lerk

Illinois Poilutlo

ntro.

Board

29-120