There is no demonstrated technology that can control mercury emissions across the entire electric utility industry. However, the industry is working with the federal government to find sensible mercury solutions and ways to reduce emissions of mercury from power plants.

The electric utility industry is actively helping the Department of Energy test the effectiveness of emerging, mercury-specific control technologies. Other mercury research and development is ongoing on all aspects of mercury including: sources, chemical transformation in the environment, as well as health effects, and methods to reduce emissions.

Until new commercially feasible technologies are deployed that can effectively capture mercury from all coal types, the Environmental Protection Agency and states should allow the electric utility industry to adopt alternative control strategies, such as a cap-and-trade approach, that provide the most cost-effective and efficient way to regulate and sharply reduce power plant mercury emissions.

The United States is leading an effort within the United Nations Environment Programme to create a program that would establish partnerships designed to help developing countries reduce mercury emissions. The partnerships will leverage resources, technical expertise, technology transfer, and information exchanges to provide immediate effective action that will result in tangible reductions of mercury use and emissions. It accelerates the work of the UNEP Mercury program, originally proposed by the U.S. at the 2003 UNEP Governing Council meeting.

Can control technologies capture mercury emissions?

What mercury research is still being done?

Can control technologies capture mercury emissions?

According to DOE, "Currently no single technology exists that can uniformly control mercury from all power plant flue gas emissions."¹ Since there is no demonstrated technology that can control mercury emissions across the entire utility industry, several ways to reduce mercury are being investigated.

Along with the federal government, the electric utility industry is involved in several areas of mercury research, particularly mercury control technologies. The research is primarily focused on augmenting existing pre- and post-combustion technologies, with various combustion conditions being studied for possible mercury removal or mercury speciation modifications.

DOE believes "[s]ubstantial progress in mercury control technology development has been achieved through a partnership between government and industry. A broad portfolio of technologies is beginning to emerge. These technologies will probably be able to provide 50-70% reduction of mercury in the period after 2015, with up to 90% reduction on many applications after 2018."²

According to EPA, mercury-specific controls capable of removal levels between 60-90% won’t be available for commercial application until after 2010. EPA notes further "that broad scale commercial application of control technology to remove mercury will be possible after the technology is available. Therefore, initiation of a potential national retrofit program could take place after the technology is available and such a program would take a number of years to fully implement."³

What mercury research is still being done?

Though current research data and information do not establish a direct link between electric utility mercury emissions and harmful mercury levels in fish for human consumption, the industry is participating with EPA, other federal agencies, and the scientific community in new and ongoing mercury research and monitoring projects aimed at further clarifying this issue. The industry is committed to pursuing scientific research that will protect human health and the environment from the harmful effects of mercury.

Much of the mercury research in the U.S. is being sponsored by four organizations: DOE, EPA, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and the United States Geological Survey. These organizations, in collaboration with electric utilities, are conducting research on all aspects of mercury, including: sources, movement, and chemical transformation in the environment, as well as health effects and methods to reduce emissions.

Since there is no demonstrated technology that can control mercury emissions across the entire utility industry, several alternatives for reducing mercury are being investigated. EPA and DOE both acknowledge there is a lack of key information needed to resolve many scientific uncertainties about mercury. For example, EPA admits "Given the current scientific understanding of the environmental fate and transport of this element, it is not possible to quantify with precision how much of the methylmercury in fish consumed by the U.S. population is contributed by U.S. emissions relative to other sources of mercury."⁴

Footnotes:

1. See http://www.netl.doe.gov/coal/E&WR/mercury/index.html.
2. See DOE memo, Mercury Control Technologies, January 8, 2004 .
3. See Control of Mercury Emissions from Coal Fired Electric Utility Boilers: An Update , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, February 18, 2005.
4. See Proposed National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants; and, in the Alternative, Proposed Standards of Performance for New and Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Steam Generating Units; Proposed Rule, 69 Federal Register, 4652-4752.

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