Plantwide Applicability Limits for NOx and PM2.5, Installation of Cogeneration Equipment, and Operation of Existing Boiler #3
The District Department of the Environment (DDOE) issued four air quality permits to the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) that will allow the construction of combined heat and power equipment at the U.S. Capitol Power Plant (CPP). CPP became operational in 1910 and was originally designed to provide heat and electricity to the U.S. Capitol. CPP eliminated electrical energy production in 1951, and the power plant currently provides steam and chilled water to 23 facilities on Capitol Hill, including the House and Senate office buildings, the Supreme Court, and the Library of Congress. The new project will involve the installation of two cogeneration units, which are highly efficient, clean, fuel-burning technology that will allow the facility to both provide steam heat and generate electricity for use at CPP and the buildings that it services. The equipment will be primarily fired on natural gas, with fuel oil as the backup fuel. The equipment will also allow CPP to reduce its reliance on older, dirtier fuel burning equipment, particularly the units that still combust coal.
