Toxic Release Inventory Estimates for Coal-Fired Electric Power Plants

Beginning in 1998, coal-fired and oil-fired power plants will be required to estimate and report their annual mass emissions of certain toxic chemicals to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of the national Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). The TRI is a publically reported inventory of emissions to air, water and land of approximately 600 chemicals designated as "toxic" by the EPA. This paper reviews the current status of TRI reporting requirements for electric utilities. The recently released PC version of the· EPRI PISCES Model is used to estimate the magnitude of reportable TRI emissions, and their uncertainties, for a variety of typical power plant designs, operating conditions, and fuel choices. The ability of environmental control technologies and plant operating practices to reduce emissions of TRI chemicals also is explored using the PISCES Model. Future developments regarding TRI requirements and emission estimation methods are outlined.