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Big Bend Power Station


Big Bend Power Station, along with Tampa Electric's other power plants, serve customers across the West Central Florida service area.

Location

Situated on Tampa Bay, Big Bend Power Station is located on Big Bend Road on nearly 1,500 acres in southeastern Hillsborough County, close to Apollo Beach.

Description

Big Bend Power Station has four coal-fired units with a combined output of almost 1,800 megawatts. Big Bend Power Station expanded to meet the demands of rapid growth during the 1970s and 1980s. The first unit began service in 1970; the second and third generating units were added in 1973 and 1976; and Unit Four was added in 1985. With the capacity provided by three combustion turbines that serve as peaking units, combined output from Big Bend Power Station is over 1,900 megawatts.

Technology

Big Bend Power Station meets strict environmental regulations through the use of flue gas desulfurization systems or “scrubbers,” which remove sulfur dioxide produced when coal is burned.

The scrubber for Big Bend Unit Four began operation in 1984, and since 1995, has simultaneously scrubbed Unit Three as well. The scrubber for Big Bend Units One and Two began operation at the end of 1999. The scrubber system complies with standards set by the U.S. Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, and removes 95 percent of sulfur dioxide from all four units.

Environment

By using a variety of proven technologies, Tampa Electric will continue to significantly reduce nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and sulfur dioxide emissions from Big Bend Power Station. Planned actions include:

  • Combustion modifications to all four units and evaluation of the effects of each modification on nitrogen oxides emissions. By the end of 2010, nitrogen oxides emissions from Big Bend Power Station will be reduced by approximately 80 percent from 1998 emission levels through the installation of a Selective Catalytic Reduction system on each unit.
  • Optimizing electrostatic precipitators to minimize emissions of particulate matter from the stacks was completed in 2004, resulting in a reduction of approximately *71 percent when compared to 1998 levels.
  • Further reduction of sulfur dioxide emissions by investing more than $23 million in scrubber upgrades, resulting in a reduction of over 88 percent from 1998 levels.

Recyclable byproducts

During the scrubbing process, coal combustion gases are sprayed with a mixture of water and limestone. Sulfur oxides react with the spray to form gypsum. Tampa Electric recycles virtually all of its gypsum.

Gypsum is used locally in wallboard (drywall) for construction, in cement and concrete for construction and in agriculture as a soil nutrient or fertilizer

Fly ash, a fine particulate material that results from the combustion of coal and is collected in the electrostatic precipitators in all four Big Bend Units, is used in the cement and concrete industries.

Slag, which is collected at the bottom of the furnace, is a hard, glass-like material with many reuses, including in cement. Its hard quality makes it valuable to use as a high-velocity blast material to clean ships, storage tanks and other large metal surfaces.

*Source 2003 Actuals