Environment
Global Responsibility
The Tenaska Trailblazer Energy Center continues Tenaska's record of environmentally responsible electric generation.
 The most significant environmental feature of the Tenaska Trailblazer Energy Center is the plant's ability to capture, dehydrate and compress for use in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) 85 to 90 percent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by combustion of the plant's fuel—sub-bituminous, low-sulfur coal. Carbon dioxide is often associated with climate change, and there is a world-wide effort to reduce the amount of CO2 entering the atmosphere.
No conventional coal-fueled power plant operating on a commercial scale today is capturing and sequestering from the atmosphere most of the CO2 it produces. There are only small demonstration plants capturing CO2.
The Tenaska Trailblazer Energy Center will also control other emissions of common concern, maintaining emission rates far below the current national average by utilizing state-of-the-art emission control technology.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOX), mercury, lead, particulate matter and other emissions will be controlled utilizing a combination of low-sulfur coal, combustion controls, catalytic reduction, fabric filters, activated carbon injection, and flue gas scrubbers.
All emission levels will meet or be lower than current or proposed standards set by state and federal regulation.
In addition to air emissions, the plant will produce solid waste, including gypsum, bottom ash and fly ash. All of these products can be safely landfilled on site, or may have a commercial value.
Trailblazer: An Industry Leader
In addition to its ability to capture 85 to 90 percent of the CO2 it produces, the Trailblazer Energy Center will be designed to operate with emission levels of SO2 and NOX far below national energy industry averages.
The chart below compares actual average emissions of SO2 and NOX from U.S. coal-fueled generating stations with proposed maximum emissions from the Tenaska Trailblazer Energy Center on a lbs./megawatt-hour basis:
Tenaska’s Record Demonstrates Commitment
Tenaska has demonstrated a commitment to environmental stewardship in the siting, design, construction and operation of its projects. Tenaska is listed repeatedly as having among the lowest fleet-wide average emission rates in the United States by Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
Tenaska Tops 2012 NRDC Benchmarking Air Emissions Rankings **
| Emission (in lbs./megawatt-hours) |
CO2 |
NOX |
SO2 |
| Tenaska Average |
890 |
0.18 |
0.005 |
| Fossil Fuel Plant Average |
1,778 |
2.15 |
4.59 |
| Tenaska % of National Average |
50% |
8.5% |
0.1% |
[View the NRDC Benchmarking Air Emissions Study here.]
Sources:
* Trailblazer Data: Allowable Annual Rates of SO2 and NOX in Final Air Permit
(Based on 900-MW Maximum Boiler Output).
Coal and All Generation Data: Environmental Protection Agency, eGRID2012 Version 1.0 (2009 data).
** Natural Resources Defense Council Benchmarking Air Emissions Study, 2012
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