[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 249 (Wednesday, December 29, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73025-73026]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-33828]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice Inviting Financial Assistance Applications
AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Energy Technology
Laboratory (NETL).
ACTION: Notice inviting financial assistance applications.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy announces that it intends to conduct
a competitive Program Solicitation and award financial assistance
(Cooperative Agreements) for the program entitled ``Testing and
Evaluation of Promising Mercury Control Technologies for Coal Based
Power Systems''. Through this solicitation, DOE seeks to support
applications in the following areas of interest: (1) Field Testing of
Activated Carbon Upstream of Existing Utility Particulate Control
Devices, (2) Field Testing of Effective Mercury Control Technologies
Upstream of and Across Wet Flue Gas Desulfurization Systems, (3) Field
Testing of Concepts for Augmenting or Aiding in the Overall Control of
Mercury in the Field Tests under Topic 1 and Topic 2, and (4) Testing
Novel and Less Mature Control Technologies on Actual Flue Gas at the
Pilot-scale. A DOE technical panel will perform a scientific and
engineering evaluation of each responsive application to determine the
merit of the approach, and availability of DOE funding in the technical
areas proposed. Awards will be made to a limited number of applicants
based on this review.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Martin J. Byrnes, U.S. Department of
Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Acquisition and
Assistance Division, P.O. Box 10940, MS 921-112, Pittsburgh PA 15236-
0940, Telephone: (412) 386-4486, FAX: (412) 386-6137, E-mail:
byrnes@netl.doe.gov.
This solicitation (available in both WordPerfect 6.1 and Portable
Document Format (PDF)) will be released on DOE's NETL Internet site
(http:/www.netl.doe.gov/business/solicit) on or about January 28, 2000.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title of Solicitation: ``Testing and Evaluation of Promising
Mercury Control Technologies for Coal Based Power Systems.''
Objectives: The mission of the DOE Mercury Measurement and Control
Program is to perform research and development in order to provide a
better understanding of mercury and its speciation for coal-based power
generation activities. The Department of Energy's Mercury Measurement
and Control Program goal is to develop control strategies for reducing
the current annual utility mercury emissions by 50 to 70% by 2005 and
by 90% by 2010 at a cost between one-quarter to one-half of the current
cost estimates. Research continues on developing potential technologies
for mercury emission reduction from utility plants, and is designed to
augment existing pre- and post-combustion technologies, with
investigations studying different combustion conditions for possible
mercury removal or mercury speciation modifications. The post-
combustion R&D focuses on the addition of some type of sorbent
technology (including gas-phase additives) to adsorb the mercury, or
using new technology for mercury control.
The primary objective of this solicitation is to solicit
applications for work that seek cost-shared projects (1) to conduct
field testing of promising mercury control technologies to determine
their maximum removal of measured mercury levels (total i.e., elemental
plus oxidized) while determining realistic process/equipment costs for
various levels of Hg removed; and (2) to further develop the less
mature methods for possible control of mercury emissions from coal-
fired power plants. A secondary focus of this solicitation is to
measure and/or assess potential multiple pollutant or co-control
associated with the control technology field test and development
projects designed to elucidate mercury emission reductions. The key
element addressed in the solicitation's overall areas of interest is
the control of mercury and its species generated by U.S. coal-fired
utility boiler systems.
Intent: The Department of Energy's intent under this solicitation
is to gather cost and performance data by field testing of promising
mercury control technologies, and smaller pilot-scale investigations to
determine: (1) The potential mercury removal or efficiency of promising
mercury control technologies at a larger scale; (2) the portion of the
very diverse utility industry that these mercury control technologies
could penetrate or be retrofittable allowing high end mercury removal;
(3) the possible negative and positive impacts of retrofitting these
mercury control technologies; (4) accurate cost(s) of retrofitting
these technologies; (5) the highest amount of Hg removed at the lowest
cost per pound; and (6) effective sequestration of the captured mercury
in the various media utilized as by-products or being disposed in
landfills.
Eligibility: Eligibility for participation in this Program
Solicitation is considered to be full and open. All interested parties
may apply. The solicitation will contain a complete description of the
technical and organizational evaluation factors and the relative
importance of each factor. While national laboratories may not
participate as a prime they may participate as a sub-contractor.
Areas of Interest: The Department expects to support applications
in the following areas of interest: (1) Field Testing of Activated
Carbon Upstream of Existing Utility Particulate Control Devices, (2)
Field Testing of Effective Mercury Control Technologies Upstream of and
Across Wet Flue Gas Desulfurization Systems, (3) Field Testing of
Concepts for Augmenting or Aiding in the Overall Control of Mercury in
the Field Tests under Topic 1 and Topic 2, and (4) Testing Novel and
Less Mature Control Technologies on Actual Flue Gas at the Pilot-scale.
Awards: DOE anticipates issuing financial assistance (cooperative
agreements) for each project selected. DOE reserves the right to
support or not support, with or without discussions, any or all
applications received in whole or in part, and to determine how many
awards may be made through the solicitation subject to the funds
available. DOE expects to provide a total of $7.4 million for projects
under Topic 1; a total of $2.0 million for projects under Topic 2; a
total of $0.775 million for projects under Topics 3; and a total of
$2.0 million for projects under Topic 4. The period of performance for
all projects is expected to be within three years, with projects
associated with Topics 1 through 4 being initiated at different times
over the three year period. This is dependent on the number of awards
and the availability of
[[Page 73026]]
the independent contractor performing the sampling and analyses of
mercury for all the field tests. The minimum cost shares are twenty
(20) percent and fifty (50) percent, depending on criteria described in
the draft solicitation.
Solicitation Release Date: A draft of this Program Solicitation is
available for comment on FETC's World Wide Web Server Internet System
at http://www.netl.doe.gov/business/solicit until January 14, 2000. The
final Program Solicitation is expected to be ready for release on or
about January 28, 2000. Applications must be prepared and submitted in
accordance with the instructions and forms contained in the Program
Solicitation.
Richard D. Rogus,
Contracting Officer, Acquisition and Assistance Division.
[FR Doc. 99-33828 Filed 12-28-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
