MEMORANDUM

TO: Steam Electric Effluent Guideline Rulemaking Record

FROM: Debra Falatko, ERG

Kavya Kasturi, ERG

Elizabeth Sabol, ERG

Danielle Lewis, ERG

DATE: April 19, 2013

SUBJECT: Supplemental Costs and Loadings Documentation (DCN SE01825)

EPA’s report “Incremental Costs and Pollutant Removals for the Proposed Effluent Limitations 

Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category” 

(DCN SE01957) describes the methodologies used to estimate engineering compliance costs 

associated with installing and operating the various technologies and practices that make up the 

regulatory options considered by EPA. That report also presents the methodologies used to 

estimate baseline and post-compliance pollutant loadings and the corresponding pollutant 

removals for each regulatory option. 

ERG prepared this document as a complement to that report, providing additional detailed 

information and data regarding the steam electric costs and loadings. This document, consisting 

of a compilation of appendices to this cover memorandum, includes the following types of 

additional detailed information and data:

• Spreadsheets documenting development of input tables, cost factors, chemical dosage 

rates, and other cost elements;

• Telephone contact reports and other detailed cost information provided by vendors;

• Equipment specifications provided by vendors; and 

• Calculations performed using the cost information, including the generation of cost 

curves.

Table 1 lists the document appendices and describes the information and data contained in each.
Memorandum

April 19, 2013

Page 2

Table 1. List of Supplemental Cost Document Appendices

DCN Relevant Cost Element Topic Description

Chemical Precipitation Treatment System

SE01825.A1 Purchased equipment costs Dry cargo van freight costs Equipment freight costs by full dry cargo van provided by vendor

SE01825.A2 Purchased equipment costs Pump purchase costs Development of cost equations for pump purchase costs

SE01825.A3 Purchased equipment costs Pump purchase costs FGD wastewater forwarding pump purchase costs provided by a vendor

SE01825.A4 Purchased equipment costs Pump purchase costs Treated FGD wastewater discharge pump purchase costs provided by a vendor

SE01825.A5 Purchased equipment costs Pump purchase costs Sump pump purchase costs provided by a vendor

SE01825.A6 Purchased equipment costs Pump purchase costs Lime slurry transfer pump purchase costs provided by a vendor

SE01825.A7 Purchased equipment costs Pump purchase costs Online freight costs by weight for shipping pumps approximately 500 miles

SE01825.A81 Purchased equipment costs Tank purchase costs Assessment of materials of construction for wastewater treatment tanks

SE01825.A8 Purchased equipment costs Tank purchase costs Development of cost equations for carbon steel and fiberglass reinforced plastic 

(FRP) tank purchase costs and development of a cost algorithm to select 

between these tank types

SE01825.A9 Purchased equipment costs Tank purchase costs Development of the design basis for chemical precipitation storage and reaction 

tanks expressed by hydraulic residence time

SE01825.A85 Purchased equipment costs Tank purchase costs Development of the design basis for the biological and vapor-compression 

treatment system feed tank expressed by hydraulic residence time

SE01825.A10 Purchased equipment costs Tank purchase costs FRP tank purchase costs provided by a vendor

SE01825.A11 Purchased equipment costs Tank purchase costs Development of a cost equation for freight costs for shipping FRP tanks

SE01825.A12 Purchased equipment costs Tank purchase costs FRP tank freight costs provided by a vendor

SE01825.A13 Purchased equipment costs Tank purchase costs Carbon steel tank information provided by a vendor

SE01825.A14 Purchased equipment costs Tank and clarifier purchase costs Carbon steel tank purchase and freight costs provided by a vendor

SE01825.A15 Purchased equipment costs Tank purchase costs Carbon steel tank information provided by a vendor

SE01825.A16 Purchased equipment costs Tank and clarifier purchase costs Carbon steel tank information and specifications provided by a vendor

SE01825.A17 Purchased equipment costs Tank and clarifier purchase costs Carbon steel tank purchase costs and specifications provided by a vendor

SE01825.A18 Purchased equipment costs Tank and clarifier purchase costs Carbon steel tank liner purchase costs and specifications provided by a vendor

SE01825.A19 Purchased equipment costs Tank and clarifier purchase costs Carbon steel tank liner specifications provided by a vendor

SE01825.A86 Purchased equipment costs Tank purchase costs Totes information and costs provided by a vendor

SE01825.A20 Purchased equipment costs Chemical feed system purchase costs Chemical feed system information and purchase costs provided by a vendor

SE01825.A21 Purchased equipment costs Chemical feed system purchase costs Chemical feed system information and purchase costs provided by a vendor

SE01825.A22 Purchased equipment costs Chemical feed system purchase costs Chemical feed system specifications provided by a vendor

SE01825.A23 Purchased equipment costs Chemical storage tank purchase costs Development of an algorithm to determine whether chemical storage tanks are 

required (as opposed to onsite storage in chemical totes), and if so, the tank size 

requirements

SE01825.A24 Purchased equipment costs Chemical feed system purchase costs Development of an algorithm to estimate lime storage requirements and lime 

storage silo size. Development of a cost equation for lime feed system purchase 

costs
Memorandum

April 19, 2013

Page 3

Table 1. List of Supplemental Cost Document Appendices

DCN Relevant Cost Element Topic Description

SE01825.A25 Purchased equipment costs Chemical feed system purchase costs Chemical feed system specifications provided by a vendor

SE01825.A26 Purchased equipment costs Mixer purchase costs Mixer information and purchase costs provided by a vendor

SE01825.A27 Purchased equipment costs Mixer purchase costs Mixer freight costs provided by a vendor

SE01825.A28 Purchased equipment costs Mixer purchase costs Mixer specifications provided by a vendor

SE01825.A29 Purchased equipment costs Mixer purchase costs Development of cost factors used to estimate mixer purchase costs as a function 

of tank volume and mixer torque

SE01825.A84 Purchased equipment costs Mixer purchase costs Development of a filtrate sump sizing factor used to calculate the filtrate sump 

mixer cost

SE01825.A30 Purchased equipment costs Clarifier purchase costs Solids contact clarifier costs and specifications provided by a vendor

SE01825.A31 Purchased equipment costs Clarifier purchase costs Clarifier freight costs provided by a vendor

SE01825.A32 Purchased equipment costs Clarifier purchase costs Solids contact clarifier costs and specifications provided by a vendor

SE01825.A83 Purchased equipment costs Clarifier purchase costs Development of the design basis and treatment in place methodology for 

clarifiers

SE01825.A33 Purchased equipment costs Clarifier purchase costs Development of an equation to estimate clarifier tank volume as a function of 

FGD wastewater flow

SE01825.A34 Purchased equipment costs Pump, tank, and filter press purchase costs Development of factor used to determine the flow rate of sludge generated by 

chemical precipitation as a function of FGD wastewater flow

SE01825.A35 Purchased equipment costs Filter press purchase costs Filter press information and purchase costs provided by a vendor

SE01825.A36 Purchased equipment costs Filter press purchase costs Filter press information and purchase costs provided by a vendor

SE01825.A37 Purchased equipment costs Filter press purchase costs Filter press specifications provided by a vendor

SE01825.A38 Purchased equipment costs Filter press purchase costs Development of a cost equation for filter press units as a function of required 

filter press size. Development of algorithms to determine required number and 

sizes of filter presses as a function of the flow rate of sludge generated by 

chemical precipitation

SE01825.A39 Purchased equipment costs Sand filter purchase costs Sand filter information provided by a vendor

SE01825.A40 Purchased equipment costs Sand filter purchase costs Sand filter information and purchase costs provided by a vendor

SE01825.A41 Purchased equipment costs Sand filter purchase costs Sand filter freight costs and specifications provided by a vendor

SE01825.A42 Purchased equipment costs Sand filter purchase costs Carbon steel tank information and specifications provided by a vendor

SE01825.A43 Capital costs (except for purchased 

equipment costs)

Equipment installation costs

Building costs

Land costs

Site preparation costs

Engineering costs

Construction expenses

Other contractor’s fees

Contingency fees

Development of cost factors used to estimate certain capital costs as a function 

of purchased equipment costs

SE01825.A44 Operating and maintenance costs Operating labor costs Development of a cost equation for operating labor costs

SE01825.A45 Operating and maintenance costs Operating and maintenance costs Development of annual FGD wastewater treatment flows for plant operating 

chemical precipitation; development of capacity factor used to size FGD 
Memorandum

April 19, 2013

Page 4

Table 1. List of Supplemental Cost Document Appendices

DCN Relevant Cost Element Topic Description

wastewater treatment systems

SE01825.A46 Operating and maintenance costs Maintenance labor costs

Maintenance materials costs

Development of cost factors used to estimate maintenance labor and materials 

costs as a function of annual FGD wastewater flow

SE01825.A47 Operating and maintenance costs Chemical purchase costs Development of chemical dosage rates

SE01825.A48 Operating and maintenance costs Chemical purchase costs Chemical purchase costs provided by vendors

SE01825.A49 Operating and maintenance costs Chemical purchase costs Derivation for an overall shipping rate for chemical precipitation chemicals

SE01825.A50 Operating and maintenance costs Energy costs Development of an equation to estimate pump and clarifier mixer horsepower as 

a function of FGD wastewater flow

SE01825.A51 Operating and maintenance costs Energy costs Development of an equation to estimate filter press horsepower as a function of 

chemical precipitation sludge flow

SE01825.A52 Operating and maintenance costs Sludge disposal costs Development of an equation to estimate chemical precipitation dewatered 

sludge generation as a function of FGD wastewater flow. Estimation of density 

of dewatered chemical precipitation dewatered sludge

SE01825.A53 Current FGD Wastewater Flows Cost Inputs Development of methodology to estimate missing FGD wastewater flow rates 

for plants currently operating wet FGD scrubbers.

SE01825.A54 Planned FGD Wastewater Flows Cost Inputs Development of methodology to estimate missing FGD wastewater flow rates 

for plants planning to install a wet FGD scrubber between 2009 and January 1, 

2014.

SE01825.A55 FGD High Flow and Recycle Analysis Cost Inputs Analysis of plants with high FGD wastewater flow rates, greater than or equal to 

1,000 gpm, to determine if recycling FGD wastewater is feasible.

SE01825.A82 Chemical Precipitation Treatment in 

Place

Cost Inputs Plant-specific assessments and determinations of FGD wastewater treatment in 

place.

SE01825.A56 Equalization Tank Cost Analysis Equalization Tank Costs Cost comparison of equalization tanks and pond operating costs for high flow 

FGD plants. Analysis to determine which option, equalization tanks or existing 

segregated ponds, is more cost effective for achieving wastewater equalization 

at plants with FGD wastewater flow of 1,000 gpm or greater.

Biological Treatment System

SE01825.A57 Capital and O&M Costs for GE’s 

ABMet System

Purchased Equipment Costs

Installation Costs

Energy Costs

Labor Costs

Chemical Costs

Correspondence with General Electric (GE) regarding costing information for 

their ABMet biological treatment system. 

SE01825.A58 Capital Costs for Heat Exchanger Purchased Equipment Costs

Freight Costs

Development of costing equations for purchase and freight associated with heat 

exchanger and cooling water pumps.

SE01825.A59 Indirect Capital Costs Overhead Engineering Cost Development of factor used to calculate the overhead engineering cost 

associated with the biological treatment system.

SE01825.A60 Operating and Maintenance Cost Maintenance Materials Cost Development of factor used to calculate costs associated with purchasing 

materials used for maintaining the biological treatment system.

Vapor Compression Evaporation Treatment System
Memorandum

April 19, 2013

Page 5

Table 1. List of Supplemental Cost Document Appendices

DCN Relevant Cost Element Topic Description

SE01825.A61 Capital and O&M costs for Vapor 

Compression Evaporation System

Purchased Equipment Cost

Installation Cost

Energy Cost

Chemical Cost

Sludge Generation

Compilation of data from GE and HPD regarding costing information for the 

vapor compression evaporation system. Cost curves and equations developed 

from vendor data were used to estimate system level costs for installing and 

operating a vapor compression evaporation system.

Landfill Leachate Treatment

SE01825.A62 Landfill Leachate Flows Cost Inputs Development of methodology to estimate landfill leachate flow rate.

SE01825.A63 Landfill Leachate and FGD Treatment 

In Place Analysis

Cost Inputs Analysis of plants with treatment in place for FGD wastewater to determine if 

treatment units contain the capacity to also treat landfill leachate.

SE01825.A64 Leachate Conveyance Cost Analysis Cost Methodology Cost comparison of leachate conveyance options. Analysis compares the cost of 

transporting leachate by truck from the landfill site back to the main plant area 

to the cost of pumping the leachate from the landfill back to the main plant area.

Transportation Costs

SE01825.A65 O&M Costs for Solids Transportation Annual Costs Development of methodology to estimate dollar per ton costs to transport 

treatment solids to an on-site or off-site landfill.

Disposal Costs

SE01825.A66 O&M Costs for Off-Site Disposal Annual Costs Development of dollar per ton cost to deposit treatment solids in an off-site 

landfill.

Mercury Analyzer Costs

SE01825.A67 Capital and O&M Costs for Mercury 

Analyzer

Purchased Equipment Cost

Recurring Cost

Development of methodology to estimate capital and O&M costs associated 

with installing and operating a mercury analyzer and feed-back system on the 

FGD wastewater treatment effluent.

Pond Operation Costs

SE01825.A68 Pond Operation Costs Plant Specific MW Factor Development of an equation to create a specific unitized cost value for pond 

operation costs based on plant size (in MW).

Fly Ash

SE01825.A69 Fly Ash Handling Conversion Specifications of the Fly Ash Dry Vacuum 

System

Telecon and submitted data from fly ash handling vendor discussing the 

specifications of the fly ash dry vacuum system and other assumptions about the 

conversion. File also includes the conveyance pump energy requirements for 

different sized systems used in the fly ash handling cost methodology.

SE01825.A70 Fly Ash Conveyance Cost Equations and Factors Developed for 

Fly Ash Conveyance Capital and O&M 

Costs

Development of factors and equations for the fly ash handling conveyance 

capital and O&M costs. These equations and factors include the conveyance 

equipment capital cost equation, installation factor, engineering overhead cost 

factor, operating and maintenance labor rates, operating and maintenance hours, 

and maintenance materials cost factor. 

SE01825.A71 Fly Ash Intermediate Storage Cost Equations and Factors Developed for 

Fly Ash intermediate Storage Capital and 

O&M Costs

Development of factors and equations for the fly ash handling intermediate 

capital and O&M costs. These equations and factors include the intermediate 

storage equipment capital cost equation (for concrete and steel silos), 

installation factor, engineering overhead cost factor, water truck labor and 
Memorandum

April 19, 2013

Page 6

Table 1. List of Supplemental Cost Document Appendices

DCN Relevant Cost Element Topic Description

operating hours, water truck fuel costs (maintenance materials), operating and 

maintenance labor rates, operating and maintenance hours, maintenance 

materials cost factor, and pugmill energy requirements. 

SE01825.A72 Fly Ash Disposal Fly Ash Typical Moisture Content Development of the typical moisture content used to calculate the amount of 

moisture conditioned fly ash to be transported to a landfill.

Bottom Ash

SE01825.A73 Bottom Ash Handling Conversion Bottom Ash Handling Conversion Costs Email correspondence and attached bottom ash cost data from bottom ash 

handling vendor discussing several operating characteristics and capital cost 

relationships for bottom ash handling conversions. File also contains 

information on the conveyance energy requirements for the MDS and Remote 

MDS pumps.

SE01825.A74 Bottom Ash MDS Capital Costs Cost Equations and Factors Developed for 

the Bottom Ash MDS Capital Costs

Development of factors and equations for the bottom ash handling MDS capital 

costs. These equations and factors include the MDS conveyance and 

intermediate storage equipment capital cost equation (includes installation) and 

engineering overhead cost factor.

SE01825.A75 Bottom Ash Conveyance Cost Equations and Factors Developed for 

Bottom Ash Conveyance O&M Costs

Development of factors for the bottom ash MDS conveyance O&M costs. These 

factors include the conveyance operating and maintenance labor rates, operating 

and maintenance labor hours, maintenance materials cost factor.

SE01825.A76 Bottom Ash Intermediate Storage Cost Equations and Factors Developed for 

Bottom Ash Intermediate Storage O&M 

Costs

Development of factors for the bottom ash intermediate storage O&M costs. 

These factors include the intermediate storage operating and maintenance labor 

rates, operating and maintenance labor hours, maintenance materials cost factor, 

and pugmill energy requirements.

SE01825.A77 Bottom Ash Wet Sluicing Cost Equations and Factors Developed for 

Bottom Ash Wet Sluicing O&M Costs

Development of factors for the bottom ash wet sluicing O&M costs. These 

factors include the wet sluicing operating and maintenance labor rates, operating 

and maintenance labor hours, and maintenance materials cost factor.

SE01825.A78 Bottom Ash Remote MDS Capital 

Costs

Cost Equations and Factors Developed for 

the Bottom Ash Remote MDS Capital Costs

Development of factors and equations for the bottom ash handling remote MDS 

capital costs. These equations and factors include the remote MDS conveyance 

and intermediate storage quipment capital cost equation (includes installation) 

and engineering overhead cost factor.

SE01825.A79 Bottom Ash Disposal Bottom Ash Typical Moisture Content Development of the typical moisture content used to calculate the amount of 

moisture conditioned bottom ash to be transported to a landfill.

SE01825.A80 Bottom Ash Recurring Costs MDS/Remote MDS Drag Chain 

Replacement Frequency and Cost

Telecon and email correspondence with bottom ash handling vendor containing 

information on bottom ash handling conversions and specific costs for bottom 

ash conversions, drag chain replacement costs, and drag chain replacement 

frequency.