INDIANA, Pa., July 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The owners of the 1,700- megawatt, Keystone Generating Station have approved the investment of approximately $600 million for the installation of state-of-the- art flue gas desulfurization systems, or scrubbers, at the facility.

The primary benefit of the scrubbers is removal of approximately 98 percent of sulfur dioxide (SO2) from plant emissions. This equipment will provide the secondary benefits of removing substantial amounts of mercury and particulate matter. Construction is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2006 and the scrubbers are scheduled to be in operation in 2009, with Unit 1 coming online in the spring and Unit 2 following later in the year.

"This significant investment is important from both an environmental and community perspective," said Jim Lafontaine, Keystone plant manager. "We are investing in cleaner air and the long-term economic viability of Keystone, while creating 800 temporary construction jobs and 20 permanent full-time jobs. The project will contribute an estimated $100 million to the local economy."

In simple terms, a scrubber works by spraying a mixture of limestone and water into gases created during the coal combustion process. As the SO2 in the gases comes in contact with the mixture, it is absorbed and neutralized by the limestone. A byproduct of this process is commercial grade gypsum, the primary component of wallboard. The Keystone plant intends to sell the gypsum produced to wallboard manufacturers which turns a waste stream into a resource.

"Not only is a scrubber the right thing to do environmentally, it also makes good business sense," said Joe Walkovich, Manager - Operations Oversight, Keystone - Conemaugh Project Office. "Scrubbers will give us more flexibility in the type of fuels that we will be able to use from the local coal market."

The Keystone Generating Station, located about 15 miles from Indiana in Shelocta, Pa., is comprised of two 850-megawatt, coal- fired generating units. Reliant Energy is the operator of the facility which is jointly owned by a group of seven co-owners, including Atlantic City Electric (2.47 percent); Constellation Power Source Generation, Inc. (20.99 percent); NRG Energy (3.7 percent); Reliant Energy (16.67 percent); PPL Generation (12.34 percent); Exelon Generating Company, LLC (20.99 percent); and PSEG Fossil LLC (22.84).

The scrubbers are the second major environmental control investment that has been made at the station in the last three years. In 2003, nitrogen oxide control technology was added to both units. The new environmental control line-up will also significantly reduce mercury emissions.

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SOURCE Keystone Generating Station