Pollution problem tangles SPSA power plant sale

PORTSMOUTH

Before selling a trash-burning power plant to a private company, SPSA is trying to fix a lingering health and environmental problem at the facility: too much carbon monoxide polluting the air.

State regulators issued a notice-of-violation to the Southeastern Public Service Authority in April for excessive carbon monoxide emissions at the Portsmouth waterfront plant dating to 2005.

The notice came at a bad time, just as SPSA was negotiating a sale of the plant to the private sector.

Only recently has the issue been discussed publicly, as agency officials redirect money from strained budgets to correct a problem that has pushed the plant out of compliance with clean-air laws for months.

At a briefing two weeks ago, SPSA's waste-to-energy director, Richard Cheliras, told the new board of directors that $335,000 has been allocated to conduct various repairs. It is hoped, he said, the improvements will cut emissions of the odorless and tasteless gas to acceptable levels.

Last week, SPSA executive director Rowland "Bucky" Taylor said most of the work has been completed but outstanding issues remain.

"I don't think we've had any exceedences," Taylor said, "but they've had to make changes" in how the plant operates in creating steam and electricity by burning the region's garbage.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, carbon monoxide is a potentially toxic gas that results from incomplete burning of hydrocarbon-based fuels.

It is an air pollutant and a threat to public health. At low concentrations, the EPA says, carbon monoxide can cause fatigue. At higher concentrations, the gas can cause headaches, dizziness, confusion and nausea.

John Brandt, an enforcement supervisor with the state Department of Environmental Quality, said waste-to-energy plants like the one in Portsmouth have a tendency to release too much carbon monoxide because their fuel consists of so many different types of garbage, creating inconsistencies.

The SPSA plant, which opened in 1987, has a history of carbon monoxide problems, Brandt said, though expensive renovations in the 1990s helped to alleviate many of them.

According to a copy of the most recent violation notice, state regulators started documenting high levels again at the plant in early 2005. They noted more violations later that year, then more in early 2006, in late 2006, early 2008 and into late 2008.

The national safety standard for carbon monoxide emissions is 200 parts per million, as measured and averaged over a 24-hour period. The highest violation SPSA recorded was 270 ppm in late 2008; the lowest was 211 ppm in 2006, according to case records.

"These are not major violations," Brandt said, "but it remains a big issue, mostly because the exceedences keep cropping up."

SPSA expects to sell its power plant to Wheelabrator Technologies, a branch of Waste Management, the largest garbage company in the world, by May 1.

The regional trash agency would receive $150 million, much of which would go toward paying off more than $220 million in outstanding debts.

As part of the purchase contract, SPSA is liable for all carbon monoxide violations prior to installation of the improvements just financed by the agency.

After the equipment goes in, according to the contract, SPSA and Wheelabrator would each be responsible for 50 percent of any additional violations.

SPSA must complete its share of the improvements before any sale can be finalized, the contract states.

Mark Schwartz, a senior manager for Wheelabrator, said carbon monoxide is not a problem at other trash-burning plants run by the company.

He expects a resolution at the Portsmouth plant soon, noting that the company will be making upgrades once it takes ownership.

He wrote in an e-mail Friday that the company is confident that it will operate the units in compliance with all applicable permits.

In letters to state regulators, SPSA has described a mixed bag of success with a number of potential remedies. The agency has installed "air cannons" to force oxygen into boilers to create a more consistent burn and thus reduce carbon monoxide. It also has been adding fuel oil to boilers, again hoping for a more complete burn.

"Some of the actions we have taken have had a positive affect on CO emissions," SPSA's Cheliras wrote to regulators in September 2009, "while others have had no affect or, even worse, have shown signs of impeding our progress."

Scott Harper, (757) 446-2340, scott.harper@pilotonline.com