In February of 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) rule for area source boilers. In early 2014, some of the compliance requirements will be due.
Area sources are any source that emits less than 10 tons per year of any single air toxic or 25 tons per year of any combination of air toxics. Most of the boilers under this rule are located at commercial and industrial facilities. The NESHAP rule only applies to boilers at area sources that burn coal, oil, biomass, or other solid and liquid non-waste materials. This does NOT include boilers that burn only gaseous fuels or solid waste.
The rule separates boilers by three criteria: the type of fuel burned, whether the boiler is new or existing, and the size of the boiler. There are two size categories, large area source boilers have a heat input capacity of 10 MMBtu/hr or more. Small area source boilers have a heat input capacity less than 10 MMBtu/hr.
All area source boilers that fall under this rule will require an Initial Notification. The Initial Notification is due by January 20, 2014.
Under the new rule, all new and existing small boilers, regardless of fuel type, will be required to get a tune-up every other year. There are certain exceptions to this requirement that allow tune-ups every 5 years for seasonal use units, limited use units, oil-fired units with heat input capacity equal to or less than 5 MMBtu/hr and units with oxygen trim systems. Existing large boilers that burn coal, oil, or biomass are required to obtain a one-time energy assessment that assesses the boiler and its energy use systems.
Both the tune-ups and the energy assessments must be completed by March 21, 2014. Once these are complete, a Notification of Compliance Status must be submitted by July 19, 2014.
If you need help complying with the complex NESHAP rule, please contact EES.
For more information, click here.