[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 249 (Wednesday, December 29, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73025-73026]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-33828]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice Inviting Financial Assistance Applications

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Energy Technology 
Laboratory (NETL).

ACTION: Notice inviting financial assistance applications.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy announces that it intends to conduct 
a competitive Program Solicitation and award financial assistance 
(Cooperative Agreements) for the program entitled ``Testing and 
Evaluation of Promising Mercury Control Technologies for Coal Based 
Power Systems''. Through this solicitation, DOE seeks to support 
applications in the following areas of interest: (1) Field Testing of 
Activated Carbon Upstream of Existing Utility Particulate Control 
Devices, (2) Field Testing of Effective Mercury Control Technologies 
Upstream of and Across Wet Flue Gas Desulfurization Systems, (3) Field 
Testing of Concepts for Augmenting or Aiding in the Overall Control of 
Mercury in the Field Tests under Topic 1 and Topic 2, and (4) Testing 
Novel and Less Mature Control Technologies on Actual Flue Gas at the 
Pilot-scale. A DOE technical panel will perform a scientific and 
engineering evaluation of each responsive application to determine the 
merit of the approach, and availability of DOE funding in the technical 
areas proposed. Awards will be made to a limited number of applicants 
based on this review.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Martin J. Byrnes, U.S. Department of 
Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Acquisition and 
Assistance Division, P.O. Box 10940, MS 921-112, Pittsburgh PA 15236-
0940, Telephone: (412) 386-4486, FAX: (412) 386-6137, E-mail: 
[email protected].
    This solicitation (available in both WordPerfect 6.1 and Portable 
Document Format (PDF)) will be released on DOE's NETL Internet site 
(http:/www.netl.doe.gov/business/solicit) on or about January 28, 2000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title of Solicitation: ``Testing and Evaluation of Promising 
Mercury Control Technologies for Coal Based Power Systems.''
    Objectives: The mission of the DOE Mercury Measurement and Control 
Program is to perform research and development in order to provide a 
better understanding of mercury and its speciation for coal-based power 
generation activities. The Department of Energy's Mercury Measurement 
and Control Program goal is to develop control strategies for reducing 
the current annual utility mercury emissions by 50 to 70% by 2005 and 
by 90% by 2010 at a cost between one-quarter to one-half of the current 
cost estimates. Research continues on developing potential technologies 
for mercury emission reduction from utility plants, and is designed to 
augment existing pre- and post-combustion technologies, with 
investigations studying different combustion conditions for possible 
mercury removal or mercury speciation modifications. The post-
combustion R&D focuses on the addition of some type of sorbent 
technology (including gas-phase additives) to adsorb the mercury, or 
using new technology for mercury control.
    The primary objective of this solicitation is to solicit 
applications for work that seek cost-shared projects (1) to conduct 
field testing of promising mercury control technologies to determine 
their maximum removal of measured mercury levels (total i.e., elemental 
plus oxidized) while determining realistic process/equipment costs for 
various levels of Hg removed; and (2) to further develop the less 
mature methods for possible control of mercury emissions from coal-
fired power plants. A secondary focus of this solicitation is to 
measure and/or assess potential multiple pollutant or co-control 
associated with the control technology field test and development 
projects designed to elucidate mercury emission reductions. The key 
element addressed in the solicitation's overall areas of interest is 
the control of mercury and its species generated by U.S. coal-fired 
utility boiler systems.
    Intent: The Department of Energy's intent under this solicitation 
is to gather cost and performance data by field testing of promising 
mercury control technologies, and smaller pilot-scale investigations to 
determine: (1) The potential mercury removal or efficiency of promising 
mercury control technologies at a larger scale; (2) the portion of the 
very diverse utility industry that these mercury control technologies 
could penetrate or be retrofittable allowing high end mercury removal; 
(3) the possible negative and positive impacts of retrofitting these 
mercury control technologies; (4) accurate cost(s) of retrofitting 
these technologies; (5) the highest amount of Hg removed at the lowest 
cost per pound; and (6) effective sequestration of the captured mercury 
in the various media utilized as by-products or being disposed in 
landfills.
    Eligibility: Eligibility for participation in this Program 
Solicitation is considered to be full and open. All interested parties 
may apply. The solicitation will contain a complete description of the 
technical and organizational evaluation factors and the relative 
importance of each factor. While national laboratories may not 
participate as a prime they may participate as a sub-contractor.
    Areas of Interest: The Department expects to support applications 
in the following areas of interest: (1) Field Testing of Activated 
Carbon Upstream of Existing Utility Particulate Control Devices, (2) 
Field Testing of Effective Mercury Control Technologies Upstream of and 
Across Wet Flue Gas Desulfurization Systems, (3) Field Testing of 
Concepts for Augmenting or Aiding in the Overall Control of Mercury in 
the Field Tests under Topic 1 and Topic 2, and (4) Testing Novel and 
Less Mature Control Technologies on Actual Flue Gas at the Pilot-scale.
    Awards: DOE anticipates issuing financial assistance (cooperative 
agreements) for each project selected. DOE reserves the right to 
support or not support, with or without discussions, any or all 
applications received in whole or in part, and to determine how many 
awards may be made through the solicitation subject to the funds 
available. DOE expects to provide a total of $7.4 million for projects 
under Topic 1; a total of $2.0 million for projects under Topic 2; a 
total of $0.775 million for projects under Topics 3; and a total of 
$2.0 million for projects under Topic 4. The period of performance for 
all projects is expected to be within three years, with projects 
associated with Topics 1 through 4 being initiated at different times 
over the three year period. This is dependent on the number of awards 
and the availability of

[[Page 73026]]

the independent contractor performing the sampling and analyses of 
mercury for all the field tests. The minimum cost shares are twenty 
(20) percent and fifty (50) percent, depending on criteria described in 
the draft solicitation.
    Solicitation Release Date: A draft of this Program Solicitation is 
available for comment on FETC's World Wide Web Server Internet System 
at http://www.netl.doe.gov/business/solicit until January 14, 2000. The 
final Program Solicitation is expected to be ready for release on or 
about January 28, 2000. Applications must be prepared and submitted in 
accordance with the instructions and forms contained in the Program 
Solicitation.
Richard D. Rogus,
Contracting Officer, Acquisition and Assistance Division.
[FR Doc. 99-33828 Filed 12-28-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P