Coal-Gen Returns to Columbus!

The most-up-to date discussions of what is happening in the coal-fired power generation industry will take place when the 11th annual Coal-Gen conference and exhibition gets underway in Columbus, Ohio beginning August 17th and running through August 19th.

The conference sessions at Coal-Gen 2011 will take place during an uncertain time for the coal-fired power industry. In February, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued final Clean Air Act standards for boilers and certain incinerators. And in March, EPA proposed the first-ever national standards for mercury, arsenic and other toxic air pollution from power plants. Following these rules, many plants are beginning retrofits to comply with the mandates or as part of settlement agreements.

Pre-conference workshops are offered again this year at Coal-Gen. You may choose from two full-day courses and two half-day courses, all offered on Tuesday, August 16.

“Capital Investment Analysis at Coal-fired Power Plants: Co-firing with Biomass” is a full-day course that will be taught by John Hynes, partner with Excidian LLC. John’s courses are perennial favorites at Coal-Gen. This course will provide participants with the financial knowledge to analyze power plant projects and to make better business decisions. The course will cover two modules: financial statements and capital investment decision analysis. Much of the day is spent working in groups.

“Power Plant Construction Management: A Guide to Survival” is the second full-day course on offer. It will be taught by Peter Hessler, president of Construction Business Associates, and Mark Bridgers, a consultant with ContinuumAG. The morning will be devoted to understanding the contract and becoming familiar with its requirements. The afternoon will be devoted to managing safety, quality and the economics of the site works. Success of the course comes from a blend of instruction-provided guidance along with active participation by the attendees.

The first half-day course is “Specialized Marketing, Sales & Communication Techniques to the Power Generation Market.” This course will be taught by Ravi Krishman, principal consultant with Krishnam & Associates. This course offers specialized marketing techniques and strategies tailored to utility and industrial markets, particularly those with facilities affected by emission control regulations.

The second half-day course is “Process Instrumentation for Coal-fired Power Plants.” It will be taught by Ravi Jethra, industry manager for Endress + Hauser’s Power group. This course covers operations of a typically coal-fired power plant and the process instrumentation associated with it, specifically level, pressure, flow and temperature. Technologies linked with each of these parameters will be discussed along with relevant applications.

Coal-Gen’s Keynote Session on the morning of Wednesday, August 17th is intended to help understand the future of existing and planned coal-fired power plants. One featured speaker is Mike Morris, chairman and CEO of American Electric Power, which owns and operates 80 power generating stations in the U.S. Coal-fired generation counts for 66 percent of AEP’s total 38,000 MW of capacity. Morris is leading AEP's efforts to develop innovative carbon capture and storage systems at one or more AEP coal-powered generating plants at a time when research related to carbon capture and sequestration is considered to be one of the best solutions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Joining Morris will be Fred Palmer, senior vice president of Government Relations for Peabody Energy. At Peabody, Mr. Palmer is responsible for advancing government policies around the globe to unlock the potential for coal as the world's future fuel.

The Keynote Session is rounded out by Robert Fisher, senior vice president of fossil generation for Tennessee Valley Authority. TVA is in a period of transition, reducing its reliance on coal-fired generation and making plans to add more nuclear generating capacity. Mr. Fisher is responsible for the operation, maintenance, engineering, fuels and outage activities of TVA’s 11 coal-fired power plants, 87 peaking combustion turbines and six combined cycle units, totaling 22,647 MW of capacity.

Following the Keynote Session, three days of conference sessions get underway with tracks focusing on new generation; environmental, regulatory and carbon capture and sequestration issues; asset optimization; coal supply, handling and by-products; emerging clean coal technologies; and circulating fluidized bed combustion options.

On Thursday, August 18th, a plenary session titled “Boiler MACT: What It does, What It Means, How It Affects You” will help shed light on the looming Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) regulation for coal-fired power plants. Speakers from the Institute of Clean Air Companies, Edison Electric Institute, both the U.S and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and engineering firm Burns and McDonnell will discuss the implications of this proposed rule.

On Friday, August 19th, three mega-sessions will take place. One session will focus on coal combustion residuals management and issues, such as closing ash ponds and converting to dry ash handling. A second morning mega-session will give the audience on update on regulations facing coal generation facilities such as MACT, coal combustion residuals, National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and greenhouse gas emissions and their impact.

A third mega-session takes place Friday afternoon and will focus on how engaging with the public early and often to understand the importance of CCS implementation can be beneficial to the community.

If your company generates electricity, you can qualify for discounted registration fees for Coal-Gen. For a single $500 payment, your company may send an UNLIMITED number of personnel to Coal-Gen. Registration includes access to the Keynote Session, mega-sessions, all conference sessions and delegate lunches. For complete details on the Power Generators’ Discount Program, contact David Wagman at davidw@pennwell.com or call him at 918-831-9866.

Full Coal-Gen conference registration and exhibition details are available online at http://www.coal-gen.com/.