Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) is spending $400m on selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology at the Cayuga coal plant near Terre Haute, Ind., the company noted July 22.
The 200-foot structures change mercury into a substance the plant‘s other pollution control equipment can better capture.
The project is the largest investment in Duke Energy‘s Indiana compliance plan for the federally-mandated Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS). About 300 construction workers are involved in the effort.
The equipment will go into service in late 2014 for Unit 1 and mid-2015 for Unit 2. The two bituminous coal units at Cayuga can generate roughly 1,000 MW.
The major contractor for the SCRs is Industrial Contractors Skanska (ICS).
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approved a Duke plan in April to retrofit some existing coal units with new environmental controls while retiring others.
To date, Duke Energy has allocated $124m for Indiana-based vendors and contractors. The overall project will cost about $400m, which includes costs of the two selective catalytic reduction units as well as dry sorbent injection systems for additional mercury removal and sulfur trioxide mitigation.
In 2008, the company invested approximately $500m for two scrubbers to control sulfur dioxide emissions at Cayuga.
Statewide, Duke Energy has invested approximately $2.8bn since 1990 in federally mandated pollution control measures.
Duke also recently brought its new Edwardsport IGCC online in Indiana.
