Potential impacts of 316(B) regulatory controls on economics, electricity reliability, and the environment. Page: 11 of 14
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Potential Adverse Environmental Impacts Associated with 316(b) Regulations
Section 316(b) calls for cooling water intake structures to reflect the best technology available
for minimizing adverse environmental impacts (emphasis added). Note that 316(b) does not
limit the evaluation of environmental impacts to impingement and entrainment. Other adverse
environmental impacts must also be considered. Several speakers at the public meetings
indicated that BTA refers to the best technology available, regardless of costs. These individuals
suggested that cooling towers should be set as BTA because they represents the "best
technology."
There is no question that cooling towers are effective at minimizing impingement and
entrainment impacts because they greatly reduce the volume of water that must be withdrawn
from surface water bodies. Cooling towers are not a panacea, however. They cause secondary
environmental impacts that must be balanced against their benefits. These other impacts are
primarily attributable to the energy penalty. Extraction of additional fuel creates various
additional environmental impacts. Combustion of additional fuel results in significant increases
of carbon dioxide and other air emissions. Considering the current international concern about
greenhouse gases, additional air emissions may be imprudent. Cooling towers achieve much of
their cooling through evaporation, resulting in greater evaporative water losses. Existing fresh
water resources in many parts of the country are already limited. They cannot withstand
significant additional losses through evaporation.
The DOE made some preliminary calculations of the impact of a conservative 1 percent energy
penalty on carbon dioxide emissions and evaporative loss. For each megawatt of generating
capacity converted from once-through cooling to cooling towers, 46 tons per year of additional
carbon dioxide would be emitted to the atmosphere and 15 gallons per minute of additional water
would be evaporated.8 If a higher percentage energy penalty is used (e.g., up to 5.8 percent as
noted above), the resulting impacts would be proportionally higher.
Conclusions
Cooling towers are being considered by EPA as an option for BTA. Cooling towers are effective
at minimizing impingement and entrainment, but they are extremely costly. Information on
economic effects on utilities and ratepayers, potential electricity reliability concerns, and
secondary adverse environmental impacts associated with cooling towers should be available to
EPA as the Agency develops BTA for cooling water intakes.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy and Office
of Policy and International Affairs, under contract W-31-109-Eng-38. The author acknowledges
the support and contributions of DOE's Debra Littleton and David Moses.
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Veil, J. A. Potential impacts of 316(B) regulatory controls on economics, electricity reliability, and the environment., article, March 19, 1999; Illinois. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc620772/m1/11/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.