Decommissioning Plan Report: Waterloo WWTP Cogeneration Facility

Transcription

1 D R A F T Decommissioning Plan Report: Waterloo WWTP Cogeneration Facility Prepared for Region of Waterloo December 2016 CH2M HILL Canada Limited 72 Victoria Street South, Suite 300 Kitchener, ON N2G 4Y9

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3 Contents Section Page 1 Introduction Project Summary Project Location Probable Future Use for Facility Decommissioning Activities Procedures for Dismantling and Demolishing Above-ground Structure Decommissioning Below-ground Structure Decommissioning Site Restoration Managing Excess Materials and Waste Emergency Response and Communications Plan Emergency Response Non-Emergency Communications Decommissioning Notification Other Approvals Figures 1 Location of Waterloo Cogeneration Facility and Nearest Receptor 2 Cogeneration Facility Site Plan Layout Alternate formats of this document are available upon request. Please contact Pam Law at PLaw@RegionofWaterloo.ca, , or to request an alternate format. EN KWO CH2M HILL CANADA LIMITED I

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5 SECTION 1 Introduction This Decommissioning Plan Report (the Report) has been prepared to provide information to the public, Aboriginal communities, municipalities and local authorities regarding the proposed construction of a Cogeneration Facility at the Waterloo Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) at 340 University Avenue East in the City of Waterloo, Ontario (herein known as the Project). The Report is a required component of an Application for a Renewable Energy Approval (REA) Application under Ontario Regulation (O. Reg.) 359/09 REA under Part V.0.1 of the Environmental Protection Act. The actual date of decommissioning of the Cogeneration Facility is unknown at this time but this Report describes potential activities to retire the elements of the Cogeneration Facility, restoring the land and managing the excess materials and waste. 1.1 Project Summary The Project consists of the site preparation, construction and operation of a Cogeneration Facility at the Waterloo Wastewater Treatment Plant. It is estimated that the anaerobic digesters at the existing WWTP produce 4,000 to 7,000 cubic metres (m 3 ) of biogas daily. Historically, the biogas was used for sludge heating by burning the biogas in dual-fired boilers (biogas/ fuel oil). New boilers were installed which have the potential to burn biogas and natural gas to heat sludge and digester buildings. Biogas can also be burned via the on-site waste gas burner. The proposed installation will intercept the biogas flow to the boilers and flare and redirect it to a reciprocating engine generator. There is sufficient biogas to run a 600 kw engine. Should the digester produce more gas than the engine can use, surplus gas will be directed to the new boilers and then the existing flare. As a result, flaring will be significantly reduced. The electrical power produced by the generator will be consumed within the WWTP, thereby offsetting power purchases to operate the plant. No power will be exported from the site. The heat produced by the engine will be used to heat incoming sludge to the digesters and heat the digester buildings when required (mainly in the winter months). Since the engines are less thermally efficient than the boilers (the total energy produced by the engines is divided between both electrical and thermal energy instead of the boilers exclusively thermal energy production), supplemental natural gas will be required to offset the reduction in thermal energy production by the engines that is needed to meet the plant s current boiler heating demands. Construction will be designed to minimize disruption to the existing operation of the plant. The generator and the gas conditioning systems are containerized and will be delivered to site and placed on a poured concrete foundation. Trenching will be required to connect all heating, gas and electrical lines. The existing building between the two digesters will be expanded to accommodate new heat exchangers and the existing switchgear will be modified to accommodate the new generator. Construction is expected to commence March 2018 and commissioning is expected to be complete by April EN KWO CH2M HILL CANADA LIMITED 1-1

6 SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION 1.2 Project Location The Project will be located within the existing Waterloo WWTP site at 340 University Avenue East in the City of Waterloo, Ontario. The location of the Project/Cogeneration Facility footprint and the surrounding area are depicted in Figure 1 (herein referred to as the Project Location). Vegetated areas are present north, south and west of the WWTP; Laurel Creek is present immediately south of the Project Location and a tributary to Laurel Creek is present along the northern and western edge of the WWTP property. Residential areas are present further north and south of the Project Location and mixed commercial and industrial areas are present further west of the Project Location. The WWTP property is owned by the Region of Waterloo (the Region). 1-2 CH2M HILL CANADA LIMITED EN KWO

7 SECTION 2 Probable Future Use for Facility The Cogeneration Facility will be located at the WWTP. The Region s Wastewater Treatment Master Plan prepared in 2007 indicates that it is the Region s intent is to have the WWTP provide wastewater treatment for the sewershed long-term, upgrading as appropriate to accommodate increased flows and technology advancements. It is likely that the Cogeneration Facility will continue to function at the WWTP, maintained by equipment replacements and upgrades, so long as it is the most efficient and economical use of biogas at the WWTP. The main components of the Cogeneration Facility are as follows: One (1) gas conditioning system; One (1) 600 kw generator package (including natural gas blending equipment); and Two (2) heat exchangers. Figure 2 shows the potential footprint of these main components. Decommissioning of the Cogeneration Facility could include reuse or disposal of the facility components. Some components could be used at other WWTPs due to their containerized nature, repurposed for another use, sold or disposed of. EN KWO CH2M HILL CANADA LIMITED 2-1

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9 SECTION 3 Decommissioning Activities 3.1 Procedures for Dismantling and Demolishing The probable future for the Cogeneration Facility components at this time is unknown. The following procedures for dismantling and demolishing have assumed that most of the facility components will be completely removed from the WWTP. As part of the REA approval, the approving Director often imposes a condition in which this Report must be updated six months prior to actual decommissioning. If equipment is to be removed from site, the Report can be updated at that time to reflect actual decommissioning plans. Prior to decommissioning, the biogas produced by the digesters will be directed to the existing boilers or flared. There is potential for these decommissioning activities to create similar negative environmental impacts as the construction activities indicated in the Construction Plan Report. It is, however, anticipated that these potential impacts will be lessened as there will be fewer instances of dust generation, land disturbances and smaller staging areas Above-ground Structure Decommissioning All main components of the Cogeneration Facility will be located above-ground. The generator and gas conditioning system will be containerized and placed on a poured concrete foundation. The generator and gas conditioning system will thus be dismantled and removed from site in a similar manner in which it was installed on-site. The generator and gas conditioning system will likely have residual value and can be sold and relocated off-site for reuse. The heat exchangers installed in the existing building between the two digesters will likely be removed as the type of heat exchanger and size will be based on the generator specifications and sludge heating demands. Similarly, this equipment will have residual value and can be sold and relocated off-site for reuse. The existing building will undergo a slight expansion to accommodate the new heat exchangers during the construction phase of the Project. This expansion will be left as constructed if the heat exchangers are removed in the future. Piping, valving, pumps, instrumentation and control equipment and electrical wiring are some additional items that will need to be removed during decommissioning if not reconfigured for other on-site purposes. Most of these materials can be recycled if not reused Below-ground Structure Decommissioning Piping installed below-ground in support of the Cogeneration Facility will likely be re-excavated and recycled. Underground wiring will be pulled from its ducts and recycled. The concrete foundation for the generator and gas conditioning system will be crushed and recycled. EN KWO CH2M HILL CANADA LIMITED 3-1

10 SECTION 3 DECOMMISSIONING ACTIVITIES 3.2 Site Restoration Site restoration activities will be minimal as disturbance to the site is anticipated to be minimal as highlighted in the Construction Plan Report. If the concrete foundation for the generator and gas conditioning system are removed, the land will need to be backfilled (with available onsite material or off-site material) and re-graded to be in line with site conditions and runoff patterns at the time of decommissioning. The area does not currently have any vegetation and thus no replanting or reseeding will be required. 3.3 Managing Excess Materials and Waste Equipment that is removed from site (generator, gas conditioning system, heat exchanger) would be cleaned prior to removal. The Region may be able to use this equipment at another WWTP, sell the equipment for re-use or dispose of at a designated waste management facility. Excess lubricants, oils and greases would be treated as hazardous waste and disposed of accordingly. The gas conditioning system will have activated carbon (or proprietary media) that will need to be disposed of at a designated waste management facility if the system is not reused. Piping, valving, pumps, instrumentation and control equipment and electrical wiring may be repurposed on-site or the Region may use it at another facility. If it is not reused, or sold it will be disposed of at a designated waste management facility. 3-2 CH2M HILL CANADA LIMITED EN KWO

11 SECTION 4 Emergency Response and Communications Plan The purpose of the Emergency Response and Communications Plan is to develop a plan to manage emergencies with regard to the Cogeneration Facility and provide channels for communication to the public, municipalities, relevant Ministries of Ontario Government and other organizations. The Emergency Response and Communications Plan contained herein is high-level. The Plan will be updated to be more functional prior to the construction phase of the Project. The functional Plan will cover all phases of the Project from construction, through design and operation and decommissioning. 4.1 Emergency Response Responses to emergency scenarios will be developed in line with the Environmental Protection Act. Of importance, a procedure for responding to spills will be developed. The functional Plan will also include a chain of communications to ensure relevant stakeholders are contacted based on the emergency scenario. Potential stakeholders include: Public; Region of Waterloo; City of Waterloo; Ministry of Environment and Climate Change; and Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. 4.2 Non-Emergency Communications The Region has implemented a webpage dedicated to the REA process. The REA process mandates that the PDR and draft REA reports be posted on the webpage for public review prior to public consultation. The Region has an existing protocol to receive, log and address complaints received from the public or any other stakeholders, as does OCWA, the current operator of the Waterloo WWTP. The functional plan will further detail this protocol and any other emergency and non-emergency communication approaches. The functional plan will also indicate how potential stakeholders will be provided with notification of project changes, results of ongoing project monitoring and other relevant matters. EN KWO CH2M HILL CANADA LIMITED 4-1

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13 SECTION 5 Decommissioning Notification Six months prior to decommissioning, this Report will be updated and provided to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. It is expected that decommissioning activities will have less potential for negative environmental impacts than the construction phase. However, based on the Report updates, if it is warranted, stakeholders will be notified of the decommissioning activities. These stakeholders would be similar to those identified during the REA process. EN KWO CH2M HILL CANADA LIMITED 5-1

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15 SECTION 6 Other Approvals In support of decommissioning efforts, it is not anticipated that any other permits will be required. A demolition permit will not be required as no buildings will be demolished as part of decommissioning. Furthermore, the intended land-use will remain the same so no re-zoning or Record of Site Condition will be required. Necessary approvals will be reviewed prior to decommissioning. EN KWO CH2M HILL CANADA LIMITED 6-1

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17 H Ramp Creighton Court Boxbury Drive Dunvegan Drive Dearborn Boulevard Lexington Road Highway m H Sandowne Drive Hamstead Court Lexington Court Cogeneration Facility!( H WWTP Dearborn Place 175m H! ( Nearest Receptor Dale Crescent Glenridge Drive Carlaw Place University Avenue East ³!( Cogeneration Facility Notes: Figure 1!( Nearest Receptor 1. Aerial Photograph December 2014 Data set is copyrighted Location of Waterloo Cogeneration Facility and Nearest Receptor 300m radius from Cogeneration Facility by First Base Solutions Inc. and licensed to CH2M HILL Region of Waterloo Metres DRAFT Region of Waterloo, Ontario \\WATERLOO\PROJ\WATERLOOREGIONMUNICOF\674816ROWWWTPCOGEN\GIS\MAPFILES\COGENFACILITY_WATERLOO.MXD JLOGAN1 4/21/ :25:35 AM

18 RE.ES Date: Dec. 15, 2015 / Scale: 1:500 Figure 2 Cogeneration Facility Site Plan Layout Waterloo WWTP Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Detailed Engineering Study Draft (January 2016) - Modified Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario