NO_x compliance and pending regulatory changes

摘要

The U.S. electric power industry will continue to face major uncertainties in growth, deregulation, and environmental compliance challenges. The Energy Information Administration projects that as many as 1,300 new power plants, representing nearly 400 GW of capacity, will be needed by 2020 to meet demand and to off-set plant retirement. The industry not only must plan to meet increased electricity demand, but also must develop these plans during unprecedented industry restructuring and with major regulatory changes looming. Among these regulatory challenges, air quality management issues continue to be the most prominent. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to propose New Source Review (NSR) reforms in the near future and decide how it wants to address new facility construction and/or modifications to existing facilities under NSR. As EPA continues to work on NSR reform, the Department of Justice continues with its plans to prosecute suits against utilities for alleged violations of NSR rules. Overlying these regulatory initiatives, states continue to submit modifications to their state implementation plans (SIPs) in response to EPA's NO_x (nitrogen oxide) SIP Call.