Feasibility Study for Co-Locating Reverse Osmosis Treatment Facilities with Electric Power Plants
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FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR CO-LOCATING REVERSE OSMOSIS TREATMENT FACILITIES WITH ELECTRIC POWER PLANTS PREPARED FOR FOR THE SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT AND FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT JUNE 2002 Water Resource Associates, Inc. Planning, Engineering, Environmental Science Tampa, Florida In cooperation with URS Planning and Economics Group Scheda Ecological Associates EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is charged with managing water and related resources for the benefit of the public and in keeping with the needs of the region. The key elements of the SFWMD’s Missions include environmental protection enhancement, water quality protection, water supply, and flood protection. In order to accomplish the Water Supply Mission Element, the SFWMD has undertaken a Water Supply Planning Initiative. This initiative is investigating the feasibility of a wide range of water supply sources including the desalination of brackish water and seawater. Co-locating seawater Reverse Osmosis (RO) potable water treatment facilities with electric power plants has been demonstrated to provide significant volumes of drinking water at a moderate cost. In addition, this alternative water supply would provide a dependable source of water during periods of drought. In February 2001, the SFWMD initiated a cooperative study with the Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) titled, Feasibility Study for Co-Locating Reverse Osmosis Treatment Facilities with Electric Power Plants (Study). The objective of this Study was to evaluate the technical, and regulatory feasibility of co-locating seawater/brackish RO potable water treatment facilities with electric power plants. The methodology employed used a three-step evaluation process to evaluate 23 existing and planned electric power plants located within the SFWMD. A series of 56 criteria were applied to the 23 potential sites to identify the most feasible sites for future implementation. In addition, a Desalination Feasibility Cost Model (Model) was developed to readily generate project planning costs for the selected sites. As an initial component of the Study, the Tampa Bay Desalination Project was reviewed to determine the criteria that made that project feasible for the Tampa Bay Region. Project costs were evaluated to estimate the cost savings resulting from the unique features of the project including co-location with the Tampa Electric Company Big Bend Power Plant, advances in RO technology, plant capacity, competition and financing terms. It was determined that the unique benefits of this project resulted in an approximate 40 percent savings over conventional RO project costs. The benefits of co-located RO facilities and electric power plants are found in two main categories: environmental compliance and cost. The environmental compliance benefit is realized in the ability to dispose of the desalination process concentrate by blending it with the power plant’s cooling water discharge. This disposal method was recently permitted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in conjunction with the Tampa Bay Desalination Project. The second benefit is derived from the cost savings of using existing and permitted intake and discharge structures to provide raw water to the plant and provide a means for concentrate disposal. These two items can otherwise involve large capital costs, and the time associated with permitting such new structures can be lengthy and costly. The other significant advantage of using the power plant cooling water is that by using the heated cooling water (as it exits the power plant) as the supply for the RO process, the pressure necessary to produce the product water and the associated energy used in the RO process are both significantly reduced. There is also the potential for additional co-location advantages of a less significant impact, such as shared land, labor, and facilities. The initial 23 sites were evaluated and two sites were selected for a more detailed evaluation and cost analysis. The FPL Ft. Myers Power plant located in Lee County and the FPL Port Everglades Power Plant located in Broward County were ranked as “ highly desirable” sites. Based on the Study, the capital cost of the co-located facility located at Ft. Myers would be $17.3M, yielding a unit cost of $1.33 per 1000 gallons for a 10 mgd facility and the capital cost of the 25 mgd facility would be $35.5M, yielding a unit cost of $1.16 per 1000 gallons. The capital cost of the co-located facility at Port Everglades would be $37.6M yielding a unit cost of $2.40 per 1000 gallons for a 10 mgd facility and the capital cost of a 25 mgd facility would be $78.6M yielding a unit cost of $2.14 per 1000 gallons. In conclusion, the Study finds: Seawater desalination by RO is a technically feasible water supply source for Florida, offering high quality potable water on a dependable basis regardless of hydrologic conditions. • The FPL Ft. Myers site was determined to be a “highly desirable” co-location site due to the lower salinity and quantity of the available cooling water supply, extended life span of the power plant, adequate land availability, proximity to a major utility transmission line and growing potable water demand in service area. • The FPL Port Everglades site was determined to be a “highly desirable” co-location site due to the quantity of the available cooling water supply, expected life span of the power plant, adequate land availability and growing potable water demand in service area. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................................i List of Tables .................................................................................................................................iii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... v List of Acronyms ..........................................................................................................................vii 1.0 INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................1-1 1.1 Purpose and Objective of Study ...........................................................................1-1 1.2 Schedule of Study and Role of SFWMD, & FPL ..................................................1-4 1.3 Benefits of Co-Locating a Desalination Plant with an Electrical Power Plant ..........................................................................................................1-4 1.4 Willingness of Utilities to Purchase a Desalinated Water Supply .........................1-7 2.0 BACKGROUND ...............................................................................................................2-1 2.1 Assumptions .........................................................................................................2-1 2.2 Constraints (Scope of Work Limitations) ...............................................................2-1 2.3 Data Collection Sources .......................................................................................2-1 3.0 SUMMARY OF TAMPA BAY DESALINATION PROJECT ............................................3-1 3.1 Key Elements of Tampa Bay Project ....................................................................3-1 3.2 Sources of Funds .................................................................................................3-2 3.3 Comparison to Future Desalination Projects ........................................................3-4 4.0 CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................4-1 4.1 Background ...........................................................................................................4-1 4.2 Description of Evaluation Criteria and Methodology............................................. 4-1 4.2.1 First Tier Criteria........................................................................................4-2 4.2.2 Second Tier Criteria...................................................................................4-4 4.2.3 Third Tier .................................................................................................4-13 4.3 Description of Desalination Feasibility Cost Planning Model ..............................4-16 5.0 SITE EVALUATION .........................................................................................................5-1 5.1 First Tier Screening Analysis ................................................................................5-1 5.1.1 Description of Evaluation Criteria ..............................................................5-3 5.1.2 Candidate Site Evaluation .........................................................................5-4 5.1.3 Selected Sites for Further Evaluation .....................................................5-53 5.2 Second Tier Screening Analysis .........................................................................5-54 5.2.1 Description of Evaluation Criteria ...........................................................5-54 5.2.2 Candidate Site Evaluation ......................................................................5-64 5.2.3 Selected Sites for Future Detailed Evaluation ........................................5-80 i 5.3 Final Site Evaluation ...........................................................................................5-83