Erickson Station - Executive Summary |
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Accidental Release Prevention and Emergency Response Policies The Lansing Board of Water & Light will continue to have a risk management program of prevention and response to ensure the safety of its employees and the public against a release of chlorine from our Erickson Station power plant. Facility Description and Regulated Substances Erickson Station is a coal burning electric generating plant located at 3725 South Canal Road in Delta Charter Township, Eaton County. The station can be reached by automobile from South Canal Road. Erickson Station houses one steam electric generating unit. This unit is nominally a 165-megawatt generating unit, 1800-psi throttle pressure and 1,100,000 lb. of steam per hour. Cooling water is supplied to the plant from a closed cooling tower circuit. The circulating water/cooling water system is the primary cooling system for all plant equipment, including the hydrogen heat exchanger, and condenser heat exchanger. Chlorine gas is used as a bio cide for cooling water treatment. The plant cannot operate with out this system. The primary water source is the Grand River, supplying approximately 1.5 million gallons/day, with Lake Delta serving as an alternate water source. The water is chemically treated on site and recirculated until specific water quality parameters are reached, at which time water is discharged to the Grand River Outfall 001. Water is also lost from the system as water vapor at the cooling tower. Worst -case Release Scenario The worst case release scenario was based on a total release of the entire contents of a one-ton chlorine cylinder in 10 minutes. A total release of the entire contents of a cylinder is very unlikely. As chlorine is released from the tank, the contents will "freeze", causing a temporary plug that blocks release. The plug will eventually thaw, causing a new release that will again freeze to form a plug. This freeze-thaw cycle takes time to occur, providing the opportunity for emerge ncy response to occur before the entire contents of a tank have been released. Five Year Accident History There have been no environmental releases of chlorine gas in the last five years. Emergency Response Program Procedures have been established to verify if a release has occurred. If a release is verified, procedures call for a trained response team from the Delta Township and City of Lansing Fire Department to respond. Planned Changes to Improve Safety No changes are planned for our program that has ensured no chlorine release has occurred since installation in 1984. Reviews of the prevention and response plans on an annual or as-needed basis will ensure that we continue to meet our safety goals. |