Birchwood Power Facility - Executive Summary |
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The accidental release prevention and emergency response policy: It is the policy of the Birchwood Power Facility to provide and maintain safe and healthful working conditions and to implement and adhere to operating practices that will safeguard all employees and result in safe working conditions, and an efficient and environmentally safe operation. The Birchwood Power Facility has a safety program designed to ensure that the employees' working environment is safe. This program includes training and instructions. The stationary source and regulated substances handled: The process at the coal-fired electrical generation power plant subject to the RMP regulations is the ammonia storage and dilution system. This system is part of the Selective Catalytic Reduction System used to control emissions of oxides of nitrogen generated from burning coal. The worst-case release scenario(s) and the alternative release scenario(s), including administrative controls and mitigati on measures to limit the distances for each reported scenario: Based on EPA criteria, the worst-case release scenario at the Birchwood Power Facility is the catastrophic failure of the 10,000 gallon ammonia storage tank. This is extremely unlikely due to the safeguards described in the Prevention Program. The worst of the several alternative release scenarios considered for ammonia is a release of ammonia due to a liquid leak from a hole developed in the storage tank. There are numerous mechanical and procedural safeguards at the Plant designed to prevent this from occurring, however, for emergency response planning purposes they were not considered in the alternative release scenario. The general accidental release prevention program and chemical-specific prevention steps: The accidental release prevention program at the Birchwood Power Facility is focused on the safe management of ammonia used in the ammonia storage and dilution system. The first ste p in the prevention program at the Plant was the establishment of a management system to assign overall responsibility and responsibility for the individual program elements. Additional steps include: ensuring process safety information on the ammonia storage and dilution system is accurate, complete and up-to-date; ensuring the system is designed and modified safely by periodically conducting process hazard analyses; ensuring the system is operated and maintained in a safe manner by developing, maintaining and implementing Standard Operating and Preventive Maintenance Procedures; ensuring Plant employee are adequately trained and tested in the RMP program elements; ensuring new equipment and modifications to the ammonia storage and dilution system are designed, constructed, operated and maintained by following Management of Change, Pre-startup Review and Hot Work Permit Procedures; ensuring contractors are qualified, and oriented to the site hazards; and conducting periodic Compliance Audits and Incident Investigations including resolution of recommendations made during these investigations/reviews. The five-year accident history: During the previous five years, no accidental releases of ammonia have occurred at the Birchwood Power Facility. The emergency response program: The Birchwood Power Facility has formally requested to be included in the King George County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) emergency response plan. In addition, the Plant has in place an emergency action plan than includes procedures to be followed in the event of an accidental release of ammonia. The procedures cover the following: evacuation plan; recognizing emergencies; emergency action procedures; coordinating personnel; first aid procedures; notifying the public and local emergency response agencies; emergency response contacts; emergency response equipment; reportable release quantities and documenting releases; emergency alarm system; training and drill s; and pre-emergency coordination with the LEPC. |