Brandon Shores Power Plant Installs New Scrubbers
Constellation Energy's flue gas desulfurization or “scrubber” project at its Brandon Shores Power Plant in Anne Arundel County, Md., has begun commercial operation, making the facility one of the cleanest-burning power plants of its kind in the nation, according to the company's press release.
“Constellation Energy has a long and demonstrated commitment to environmental stewardship throughout the communities in which we live, work and do business,” said Mayo A. Shattuck III, chair, president and chief executive officer. “Over the past decade, we’ve made a number of major environmental investments and improvements at our generating facilities, and the Brandon Shores scrubber project represents one of the most notable steps in our environmental stewardship efforts. The completion of this project illustrates our commitment to investing in the latest clean air and environmental technology as part of a broad and ongoing effort to make our generating facilities as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible.”
Scrubbers work by spraying a mixture of limestone and water into gases created during the coal combustion process. As sulfur dioxide in the gases comes in contact with the mixture, it is absorbed and neutralized by the limestone to produce gypsum, a useful additive to concrete or for the production of wallboard. The scrubber project also resulted in the construction of a new emissions stack that produces a visible plume of harmless water vapor emitted as part of the “scrubbing” process. The two existing larger emissions stacks at the Brandon Shores plant have been sealed and capped off and taken out of service but will remain in place.
The company’s clean air program includes several additional environmental upgrades at the Brandon Shores plant, including the installation of baghouses to remove particulates, as well as sorbent injection technology, which removes mercury and sulfuric acid mist from the plant’s emissions. The company also previously installed a selective catalytic reduction system at Brandon Shores, which significantly lowers nitrogen oxide emissions.
Construction on the scrubber project took three years to complete and included nearly 4 million man-hours of work from representatives of the Baltimore Building and Construction Trades Council.