Industry Sector Profile: Electric Utilities Electric Utilities The electric utilities sector consists of establishments primarily engaged in generating, transmitting, and/or distributing electric power. Electric utilities may use a variety of fuels to generate electricity; however, only facilities that combust coal and/or oil to generate power for distribution in commerce must report to TRI. These electric utilities reported the second largest disposal or other releases of any industry sector for 2011, including the largest on- site air emissions, which represented over 32% of air emissions from all industries. Quick Facts for 2011 Number of TRI Facilities: 618 Facilities Reporting Newly Implemented Source Reduction Activities: 26 On-site and Off-site Disposal or Other Releases: 616.6 million lbs On-site: 544.8 million lbs . Air: 257.8 million lbs • Water: 2.8 million lbs • Land: 284.2 million lbs • Underground Injection: 8 thousand lbs Off-site: 71.8 million lbs Production-Related Waste Managed: 1,834.8 million lbs • Recycled: 6.1 million lbs • Energy Recovery: 7.0 million lbs • Treated: 1,205.4 million lbs • Disposed of or Otherwise Released: 616.4 million lbs Figure 27. Disposal or Other Releases, 2003-2011 Electric Utilities Off-site Disposal or Other Releases On-site Land Disposal or Other Releases On-site Underground Injection On-site Surface Water Discharges On-site Air Releases "O c 3 o CL 600 — 400 200 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Year 25 Sector Profile: Electric Utilities 2011 TRI National Analysis Overview ------- The sector's total disposal or other releases decreased by 43% from 2003 to 2011, including a 12% decrease from 2010 to 2011. Air emissions, which accounted for 42% of this sector's disposal or other releases, decreased by 65% from 2003 to 2011, including a 55 million pound (18%) decrease from 2010 to 2011. The sector's production-related waste managed fluctuated somewhat from 2003 to 2011, but overall has remained relatively constant over this time period, as shown in Figure 28. While the overall quantity of waste generated has changed little, how the sector manages this waste has changed considerably. In 2011, almost two-thirds of production-related waste managed was treated while approximately one-third was disposed of or otherwise released. This is in contrast to 2003, when the opposite was the case - almost two-thirds of the waste was disposed of otherwise released and one-third was treated. This trend is in large part due to an increase in the number of scrubbers at electric utilities that treat (or destroy) acid gases in air emissions. Therefore, instead of being reported to TRI as air emissions, these chemicals are reported as treated. Figure 28. Production-Related Waste Managed, 2003-2011 Electric Utilities I Recycled Energy Recovery Treated | Disposed of or Otherwise Released On- and Off-site • Millions of GWh Electricity Generation 2,500 "O 2,000 llll 2.5 = <2 d 3 0.5 o' 3 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Year While production-related waste managed remained relatively steady overall from 2003 to 2011, production (in terms of electricity generated), represented by the black solid line in Figure 28, decreased by 16%. The constant production-related waste managed despite a downward trend in production suggests that waste generated per gigawatt-hour produced has increased, indicating that factors other than production are influencing the quantity of production-related waste generated. In the electric utilities sector, 4% of facilities reported having initiated practices to reduce their toxic chemical use and waste generation through source reduction activities in 2011. The most commonly reported source reduction activities for the sector were good operating practices and process modifications. For example, one facility in the sector reported that it "installed and operated pulse jet fabric filters which reduced the mercury air emissions." To learn more about this sector, visit EPA's Power Generators Compliance Assistance website at www.epa.gov/compliance/assistance/sectors/Dower.html. 26 Sector Profile: Electric Utilities 2011 TRI National Analysis Overview ------- |