SunCoke to Develop New Emissions Technology for Coke Plants After Clean Air Act Violations
06/27/2013 - As part of a settlement with the EPA, U.S. Dept. of Justice, and the states of Illinois and Ohio, SunCoke Energy has agreed to pay a penalty and also to develop and implement an innovative system that will be the best available emissions control technology for coke plants in the U.S.
SunCoke Energy, Inc. has reached an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Region V), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and the states of Illinois and Ohio. The agreement resolves allegations of excess venting from bypass vent stacks beyond permit limits at the company’s Haverhill facility in Franklin Furnace, Ohio, and Granite City facility in Granite City, Ill.
As part of the settlement, SunCoke will develop and implement an innovative system that will be the best available emissions control technology for coke plants in the U.S. The technology consists of SunCoke installing redundant heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) to further limit emissions during maintenance or malfunction of the HRSGs.
“SunCoke is pleased to reach an agreement that strengthens our already strict environmental protection protocols at our Haverhill and Granite City facilities, where we operate under stringent Clean Air Act permits,” said Mike Thomson, president and chief operating officer, SunCoke Energy, Inc. “SunCoke has long been committed to being a responsible member of the communities in which we operate and this agreement delivers on that ongoing commitment.”
Under the agreement, SunCoke will pay a civil penalty of US$1.995 million and has agreed to contribute US$255,000 to the St. Louis Lead Prevention Coalition — a non-profit that conducts lead abatement in homes where the owners could not otherwise afford the work. This project is being undertaken in connection with the settlement of an enforcement action, United States v. SunCoke Energy, Inc., taken on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Air Act.
SunCoke Energy, Inc. is the largest independent producer of metallurgical coke in the Americas, with 50 years of experience supplying coke to the integrated steel industry. Its advanced, heat recovery cokemaking process produces high-quality coke for use in steelmaking, captures waste heat for derivative energy resale and meets or exceeds environmental standards. Its cokemaking facilities are located in Virginia, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. Outside the U.S., it has cokemaking operations in Vitoria, Brazil, and Odisha, India. Its coal mining operations, which have more than 110 million tons of proven and probable reserves, are located in Virginia and West Virginia.
