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Climate change fall out

December 12, 2009 - 00:00 GMT

KEYWORDS: UN Climate Change Conference , Copenhagen , CO2 , environment , flue gas desulphurisation , FGD

Coal-fired power plant demise threatens FGD minerals future

However, it is also notable that measures implemented in reaction to climate change legislation might threaten a well established use of industrial minerals in protecting the environment that of flue gas desulphurisation (FGD).

Early December 2009 saw one of the USA’s leading power suppliers, Exelon Power, announce its decision to permanently retire two coal-fired units each at its Cromby and Eddystone facilities in May 2011 (see p.6).

The ramifications of this move will be immediately felt by the North American caustic calcined magnesia (CCM) supply sector, since up to 23,000 tpa CCM is consumed by Exelon in these plants’ FGD scrubbers.

Based on USGS data, this would equate to around 13.5% of CCM produced and used in the USA in 2008. This is not an inconsiderable volume, and bearing...

All material subject to strictly enforced copyright laws. © Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC.

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