vS-EPA Stationary Fuel Combustion Sources United States Environmental Protection Agency Final Rule: Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program(GHGRP), owners or operators of facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons or more of GHGs per year (expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents) from stationary fuel combustion or that meet any other applicability requirements of the rule (see information sheet on General Provisions) are required to report emissions from stationary fuel combustion. Owners or operators 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? Stationary fuel combustion sources are devices that combust any solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel generally to: ~ Produce electricity, steam, useful heat, or energy for industrial, commercial, or institutional use; or ~ Reduce the volume of waste by removing combustible matter. These devices include, but are not limited to, boilers, combustion turbines, engines, incinerators, and process heaters. The rule excludes flares (unless otherwise required by another subpart), portable equipment, and emergency generators, emergency equipment, agricultural irrigation pumps, combustion of hazardous waste (except for co-fired fuels), and pilot lights. Facilities that contain stationary fuel combustion units, but do not contain a source in any other source category covered by the rule, are not required to submit a report if their aggregate maximum rated heat input capacity from all stationary fuel combustion units is less than 30 million British thermal units per hour (mmBtu/hr). Electricity generating units that are subject to EPA's Acid Rain Program (40 CFR part 75) or that report CO2 mass emissions year-round through part 75 are covered under 40 CFR part 98, subpart D (Electricity Generation). What GHGs Must Be Reported? Facilities must report annual carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from each fuel combustion unit. For each unit, CO2 CFk and N2O emissions must be reported separately for each type of fuel combusted, including biomass fuels (except as otherwise allowed for units that are reporting year-round to part 75). In addition, facilities report any CO2 emissions from sorbent use in air pollution control equipment. How Should GHG Emissions Be Calculated? The following methodologies can be used to calculate CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions: • Calculating CQ2 Emissions from Combustion Facilities must calculate CO2 emissions using one of four methodological tiers, subject to certain restrictions based on unit size and fuel burned (see flow chart on page 3): o Tier 1 uses an emission factor that is multiplied by annual fuel use and a default heating value for that fuel. November 2011 1 40 CFR 98, subpart C ------- o Tier 2 uses an emission factor that is multiplied by annual fuel use and a measured heating value of that fuel. Units that combust MSW or other solid fuels and generate steam must use steam production (in place of fuel use) and an emission factor, o Tier 3 uses a calculation based on annual fuel use and measured carbon content of that fuel. For this tier, calculate emissions only for fuels that contribute 10 percent or more of the annual heat input to the unit or that are listed in Table C-l. o Tier 4 requires a continuous emission monitoring system (CEMS). In general, reporters are required to calculate GHG emissions only for specific fuels that are listed in the rule (Table C-l), except that units larger than 250 mmBtu/hr also must calculate GHG emissions for any fuel that provides 10 percent or more of the annual heat input to the unit. • Calculating CQ2 for units with existing CEMS o Combustion units that have certain types of existing CEMS in place and meet specific criteria are required to use the Tier 4 methodology. This might require certain upgrades to the existing CEMS in order to comply with the Tier 4 methodology. Those upgrades will depend on the fuel burned and the CEMS currently installed on a unit, o Combustion units that are subject to the reporting requirements under EPA's Acid Rain Program will continue to measure CO2 mass emissions using the 40 CFR part 75 methods and must report CO2 emissions by converting the cumulative fourth quarter CO2 emissions from short tons to metric tons. Separate reporting of biogenic C02 emissions is required beginning in the 2011 reporting year. o As an alternative to any of the four tier calculation methodologies, units that report to EPA year- round heat input data under 40 CFR part 75, can calculate annual CO2 emissions using part 75 methods. • Calculating N2Q and CFh Emissions From Combustion Most units can use an emission factor that is based on annual fuel use and the high heat value of fuel (using a default value prescribed in the rule if a measured heat value is not available). Units covered under EPA's Acid Rain Program and other units that monitor and report annual heat input according to 40 CFR part 75 requirements will use an emission factor and the measured annual heat input. • Calculating CCK Emissions From Sorbent Use Fluidized bed boilers and units equipped with a wet flue gas desulfurization system or sorbent injection will use the calculation procedure provided in the rule to estimate CO2 emissions from sorbent use. • Calculating Biogenic Commissions From Biomass Fuel Combustion Facilities must estimate CO2 emissions from the combustion of the biomass fuels listed in the rule. Emissions generally may be estimated using the Tier 1 Calculation Methodology described above. For units that combust municipal solid waste or pre-mixed biomass fuels, the rule provides methods for calculating the biomass portion of CO2 emissions. What Measurements are Required? Required measurements are determined as follows: • Annual fuel use can be determined either by use of company records (e.g., billing data, steam generation, unit operating hours) or by direct measurement using flow meters, depending on the size of the unit and the type of fuel burned. November 2011 2 40 CFR 98, subpart C ------- • Depending on the tier calculation method used and the fuel burned, reporters could be required to measure high heating value, molecular weight, or carbon content of fuel. Fuel sampling and analysis must be conducted daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or by lot depending on the fuel burned. November 2011 3 40 CFR 98, subpart C ------- General Stationary Fuel Combustion Requirements for CO2 40 CFR 98 Subpart C ' CEMS conditional requirements (All four conditions must apply): - Unit capacity: >250 mmBtu/hr solid fuel or >250 tons/day MSW, - Unit has operated >1,000 hours/year in any year since 2005, - Unit has either a Part 60, Part 75, or state-certified gas monitor of any kind or a flow rate monitor (or both). - The existing CEMS are required by regulation or permit, and are also required to undergo periodic QA/QC testing. OR - Unit capacity: < 250 mmBtu/hr solid fuel Qr< 250 tons/day /WSW. - Unit has operated >1.000 hours/year in any year since 2005. - Unit has both a C02 monitor and a flow rate monitor. - The existing CEMS are required by regulation or permit, and are also required to undergo periodic QA/QC testing. Tier 2.' Use Measured HHV'S and Default C02 Emission Factor Tier 1.4 Use Default HHV and YES Default CO2 Emission Factor 2 MSW units that do not have CEMS may use Tier 2, using measured annual steam generation in lieu of sampling the fuel HHV, or Tier 1 if steam is not produced by the unit. 3 Either measured by owner/operator or provided by fuel supplier at the required frequency 4 Reporters have the option of using any higher Tier methodology. 5 Units that report heat input year round through part 75 can use heat input measurements and part 75 methods to calculate CO., November 2011 4 40 CFR 98, subpart C ------- When Must Reports be Submitted? The submission date for the annual GHG report can vary in the first 3 years of the program. • Reporting Year 2010. The report was required to be submitted by September 30, 2011. • Reporting Year 2011. The due date depends on which source categories are included in the report. If the report includes one or more of the source categories listed below, then the report must be submitted by September 28, 2012. This reporting deadline applies to all subparts being reported by the facility. In addition, if the facility contains one or more of these source categories and the facility submitted a GHG annual report for reporting year 2010 under another subpart (e.g., subpart C for general stationary fuel combustion), then by April 2, 2012 you must notify EPA through e-GGRT that you are not required to submit the second annual report until September 28, 2012 (the notification deadline according to 4 CFR 98.3(b) is March 31, 2012, however, because this date falls on a Saturday in 2012, the notification is due on the next business day). o Electronics Manufacturing (subpart I) o Fluorinated Gas Production (subpart L) o Magnesium Production (subpart T) o Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems (subpart W o Use of Electric Transmission and Distribution Equipment (subpart DD) o Underground Coal Mines (subpart FF) o Industrial Wastewater Treatment (subpart II) o Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide (subpart RR) o Manufacture of Electric Transmission and Distribution (subpart SS) o Industrial Waste Landfills (subpart TT) o Injection of Carbon Dioxide (subpart UU) o Imports and Exports of Equipment Pre-charged with Fluorinated GHGs or Containing Fluorinated GHGs in Closed-cell Foams (subpart QQ) If the report contains none of the source categories listed above, then the report must be submitted by April 2, 2012 (the deadline is March 31, 2012, however, because this date falls on a Saturday, the annual report is due on the next business day). • Reporting Year 2012. Starting in 2013 and each year thereafter, the report must be submitted by March 31 of each year, unless the 31st is a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, in which case the reports are due on the next business day. What Information Must Be Reported? In addition to the information required by the General Provisions at 40 CFR 98.3(c), the final rule calls for facilities to report the following information: • Annual mass emissions for each GHG for each combustion unit. Emissions can be reported as the aggregated mass among multiple units under any of the three the following conditions: o Groups of units, if each unit has a maximum rated heat input capacity of 250 mmBtu/hr or less. November 2011 40 CFR 98, subpart C 5 ------- o Units that share a common stack and use CEMS. o Oil-fired or gas-fired units that combust the same fuel, if the fuel is fed through a metered common pipe. • All measured inputs used in the emissions calculations (e.g., fuel use, carbon content, heating value) and all certification tests and major quality assurance tests for units using CEMS. Existing facilities that are required to report emissions from stationary combustion sources only (and no other source categories) can submit an abbreviated emissions report using simplified calculation methods for reporting year 2010 only. EPA has temporarily deferred the requirement to report data elements in the above list that are used as inputs to emission equations (76 FR 53057, August 25, 2011). For the current status of reporting requirements, including the list of data elements that are considered to be inputs to emissions equations, consult the following link: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/CBI.html 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 final rule. Visit EPA's Web site (www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgrulemaking.html) for more information, including the final preamble and rule, additional information sheets on specific industries, the schedule for training sessions, and other documents and tools. For questions that cannot be answered through the Web site, please contact us at: GHGreporting@epa.gov. November 2011 6 40 CFR 98, subpart C ------- |