For Immediate
Release
Powerspan,
FirstEnergy to Receive Grant for
Multi-Pollutant Control Technology
NEW DURHAM, N.H., June 18,
2002—Powerspan Corp., a clean-energy technology company,
and FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), a registered public utility
holding company based in Akron, Ohio, are receiving a $4.5 million
grant from the Ohio Coal Development Office (OCDO) for the commercial
demonstration of ECO™ (Electro-Catalytic Oxidation) technology.
The OCDO, within the Ohio Department of Development, supports
the installation of beneficial and promising energy technologies
that allow for cleaner and more economical use of Ohio coal.
The grant will support the commercial
demonstration of Powerspan's ECO technology at FirstEnergy's R.E.
Burger Plant near Shadyside, Ohio. ECO technology is a multi-pollutant
control system that removes sulfur dioxide (SO2),
nitrogen oxides (NOx), mercury, and fine
particulate matter from the flue gas of coal-fired power plants.
A pilot unit at the Burger Plant has yielded greater than 95%
SO2 removal, 90% NOx
removal based on typical inlet NOx conditions,
and high removal levels of both mercury and fine particulate matter.
Installation of the 50-megawatt
commercial ECO demonstration unit is proceeding at the site, and
the unit is scheduled to be operational in the second quarter
of 2003. The unit is being installed as a slipstream on a 156-megawatt
boiler and is designed to process approximately one-third of the
boiler's flue gas. In addition to reducing air emissions, the
demonstration unit will produce a marketable fertilizer byproduct.
"We thank our utility partner, FirstEnergy, and the Ohio
Coal Development Office for their continued support of this important
technology," said Powerspan's President and COO Phillip Boyle.
"Our pilot unit is operating well, and we look forward to
proving ECO's commercial readiness for full-scale installations."
"We are grateful to the State of Ohio for its support of
this promising new technology," said Dan Steen, director
of FirstEnergy's Environmental Department. "We believe a
multi-pollutant strategy is the best approach to further reducing
emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury nationwide."
Powerspan Corp. is engaged in the development and commercialization
of proprietary energy technology for the global electric power
industry. Company research and development efforts focus on the
application of its technology to reduce the environmental impact
of power generation. For more information, visit the company's
website, www.powerspan.com.
FirstEnergy is a registered public utility holding company headquartered
in Akron, Ohio. Its various subsidiaries produce more than $12
billion in annual revenues and sell 124 billion kilowatt-hours
of electricity. FirstEnergy's seven electric utility operating
companies comprise the nation's fourth largest investor-owned
electric system, based on serving 4.3 million customers within
a 36,100-square-mile area that stretches from the Ohio-Indiana
border to the New Jersey shore.
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Contact:
Powerspan Corp.
Stephanie Procopis, Director of Marketing
Phone: (603) 859-2500, ext. 20
Fax: (603) 859-2501
Email: sprocopis@powerspan.com
