Electrical Equipment Manufacture or Refurbishment 4>EPA United Stales Efiviionmental Protect en Agsrey Final Rule: Subpart SS, Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Manufacturers or refitrbishers of electric power transmission and distribution equipment insulated with sulfur hexaflaoride (SFe) and/or perfluorocarbons (PFCs) whose purchases exceed 23,000 lbs per year must report emissions of SF6 and or PFCs from equipment testing, manufacturing (including filling), decommissioning and disposal, refurbishing, andfrom storage cylinders. Manufacturers and refitrbishers must collect emission data, calculate GHG emissions, andfollow the specified procedures for quality assurance, missing data, recordkeeping, and reporting. How Is This Source Category Defined? Electric equipment manufacturers and refiirbishers include those facilities that manufacture and/or refurbish SF6- or PFC-insulated closed-pressure equipment and sealed-pressure equipment including gas- insulated substations, circuit breakers and other switchgear, gas-insulated lines, or power transformers containing SF6 or PFCs. The rule requires each manufacturer to report: • SF6 and PFCs emissions from electrical equipment manufacturing. • SF6 and PFCs emissions from electrical equipment refurbishing. • SF6 and PFCs emissions from electrical equipment testing. • SF6 and PFCs emissions from electrical equipment decommissioning and disposal. • SF6 and PFCs emissions from storage cylinders and other containers. • SF6 and PFC emissions from electrical equipment installation that occurs before title to the equipment is transferred to the customer. In addition, each facility is required to report carbon dioxide (C02), nitrous oxide (N20), and methane (CFL4) emissions from each stationary combustion unit on site by following the requirements of 40 CFR part 98, subpart C (General Stationary Fuel Combustion Sources). The information sheet on general stationary fuel combustion sources summarizes the requirements for calculating and reporting emissions from these units and is available at http://www.epa.g0v/climatechange/emissi0ns/subpart/c.html. Owners or operators of electric power systems must calculate SF6 and PFC emissions at the facility level using a mass-balance approach, by summing the decrease in SF6 inventory and acquisitions of SF6, and subtracting disbursements of SF6, which are each defined as follows: • Decrease in SF^ Inventory: The mass of SF6 stored in containers at the beginning of the year minus the mass of SF6 stored in containers at the end of the year. What GHGs Must Be Reported? How Must GHG Emissions Be Calculated? 40 CFR Part 98, subpart SS 1 November 2010 ------- • Acquisitions of SR.: The sum of the mass of SF6 purchased from chemical producers or suppliers in bulk, the mass returned by equipment users with or inside equipment, and the mass returned to site after off-site recycling. • Disbursements of SR.: The sum of the mass of SF6 contained in new equipment delivered to customers, the mass delivered to equipment users in containers, the mass returned to suppliers, the mass sent off-site for recycling, and the mass sent to destruction facilities. Facilities are required to use engineering calculations to account for emissions that occur between the point of measurement (e.g., the scale where gas containers are weighed before and after equipment charging operations) and the equipment. PFC emissions (e.g., from transformers that formerly used CFC-113) must be calculated in the same manner as SF6 emissions by following the mass balance approach outlined above, i.e. by summing the decrease in PFC inventory and acquisitions of PFCs and then subtracting disbursements of PFCs. SF6 and PFC emissions from the equipment being installed on the electric power system's premises must also be calculated (when the installation occurs before the title to the equipment is transferred to the electric power entity) using a mass-balance equation. What Information Must Be Reported? In addition to the information required by the General Provisions at 40 CFR 98.3(c), a facility must report annually the following: • SF6 and PFC stored in containers at the beginning and end of the year, in pounds. • SF6 and PFCs, in pounds, sent off site for destruction. • SF6 and PFCs, in pounds, sent off site to be recycled. • SF6 and PFCs purchased in bulk, in pounds. • SF6 and PFCs, in pounds, returned by equipment users with or inside equipment. • SF6 and PFCs, in pounds, returned from off-site after recycling. • SF6 and PFCs, in pounds, inside new equipment delivered to customers. • SF6 and PFCs, in pounds, inside containers delivered to customers. • SF6 and PFCs, in pounds, returned to suppliers. • The nameplate capacity of the equipment, in pounds, delivered to customers with SF6 or PFCs inside, if different from the quantity of SF6 and PFCs inside equipment delivered to customers. • A description of the engineering methods and calculations used to determine emissions from hoses or other flow lines that connect the container to the equipment that is being filled. • The emission factor values used for each hose and valve combination and the associated valve fitting sizes and hose diameters. • The total number of fill operations for each hose and valve combination used to fill equipment or container disbursements. • If the mass of SF6 or the PFC disbursed to customers in new equipment is determined by assuming that it is equal to the equipment's nameplate capacity (or partial shipping charge): o The mean nameplate capacity for each make, model, and group of conditions, o The number of samples and the upper and lower bounds on the 95 percent confidence interval for each make, model, and group of conditions. • SF6 and PFCs, in pounds, used to fill equipment at off-site electric power transmission or distribution facilities. • SF6 and PFCs, in pounds, used to charge the equipment being installed off-site, prior to leaving the electrical equipment manufacturer facility. • The nameplate capacity of the equipment, in pounds, installed at off-site electric power transmission or distribution facilities used to determine emissions from installation. 40 CFR Part 98, subpart SS 2 November 2010 ------- • For any missing data, the reason the data were missing, the parameter for which the data were missing, the substitute parameters used to estimate emissions in their absence, and the quantity of emissions thereby estimated.. For More Information This document is provided solely for informational purposes. It does not provide legal advice, have legally binding effect, or expressly or implicitly create, expand, or limit any legal rights, obligations, responsibilities, expectations, or benefits in regard to any person. The series of information sheets is intended to assist reporting facilities/owners in understanding key provisions of the rule. They are not intended to be a substitute for the rule. Visit EPA's Web site (www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgrulemaking.html) for more information and additional information sheets, or go to www.regulations.gov to access the rulemaking docket EPA- HQ-OAR-2009-0927. 40 CFR Part 98, subpart SS 3 November 2010 ------- |