Dairyland Power Cooperative Implements Major Emission Control Equipment

In October, Dairyland Power Cooperative installed a fabric filter “baghouse” to enhance particulate matter (very light ash) capture at its 400 MW John P. Madgett (JPM) coal-fired power plant in Alma, Wis.

Dairyland also installed a baghouse at its 380 MW Genoa Station #3 (G-3) coal-fired power plant in Genoa, Wis., several months ago. Results have shown a major reduction in particulate matter at the Genoa power plant site.

Baghouse technology functions much like a giant vacuum cleaner, removing particulate matter from the exhaust gas stream following the coal combustion process and trapping it in a ‘bag’ made of P-84 Felt, a material like Gore-Tex.

Although baghouses have been in use for over three decades, the pulse jet baghouses installed by Dairyland were first demonstrated on a large scale power plant in 1999.

Additional technologies will help eliminate sulfur dioxide, mercury and nitrous dioxide

Dairyland has budgeted in excess of $250 million to retrofit G-3 and JPM, its two largest power plants, with state-of-the-art environmental control equipment that will result in significant air emission reductions.

The two baghouse installations are key to Dairyland’s long-term emission control plan and will allow the co-op to add on a recently-developed mercury removal process.

Future planned environmental control projects at Dairyland include:

The installation of a dry flue gas desulfurization system, or “scrubber,” to remove sulfur dioxide. Preliminary estimates indicate upwards of 90 percent of sulfur dioxide could be captured by the scrubber.
Enhanced mercury removal, and new burners to modify the combustion process to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.

These technologies are scheduled to become operational over the next few years. When operational, the new air emission control equipment will achieve significant reductions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury and particulate matter.

With headquarters in La Crosse, Wis., Dairyland provides wholesale electricity to 25 member distribution cooperatives and 19 municipal utilities. Dairyland’s generation resources include coal, natural gas, hydro, wind, landfill gas and animal waste. For more information on the cooperative, please visit www.dairynet.com.