As part of Capco’s emissions reduction project, four large coal generators, each producing 677 megawatts at the Castle Peak Power Station “B”, were retrofitted with emissions control equipment.
Since retrofitting three of its coal plants in late 2009, Capco was able to reduce emissions by 60 percent in 2010 by 1997 levels.
The retrofits consisted of three types of emissions reduction technologies: boosted over fire air, the selected catalytic reduction, and the flue gas desulphurization.
In B.O.F.A., coals burn at a lower temperature which in turn reduces the amount of nitrogen oxide through using two fans that force air into the higher section of the boiler.
S.C.R. uses chemical processes utilizing ammonia’s reaction to nitrogen oxide which in turn will form nitrogen and water vapor.
The F.G.D. technology removes sulphur oxides and sulphur dioxides from the products of combustion or flue gases at coal-fuelled power plants that are produced in boilers.
In addition to the technologies employed, Capco adopted ultra low sulphur coal to further decrease its emissions.
The project took more than 13.5 million man-hours to complete, creating 9,000 jobs. It accounted for an area of 40,000 square meters in a 24-hour operational coal power plant.
The current 60 percent reduction in emissions that the facility has achieved has surpassed the Hong Kong and Guangdong provincial government’s emissions target agreement made in 2002.
The agreement made in 2002 was to reduce regional emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and respirable suspended particulates by 40, 20, and 55 percent respectively.
Capco is a joint venture of C.L.P. Power Hong Kong Limited and ExxonMobil Energy Ltd., with 40 and 60 percent shares respectively.
