Site Description Report

	Hawthorn Plant

	8700 Hawthorn Road

	Kansas City, MO 64120

March 3, 2009

Background and Objectives

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of
developing 316(b) cooling water intake structure requirements that
reflect the best technology available (BTA) for minimizing adverse
environmental impact for all existing power plants and manufacturing
facilities. As part of this process, EPA staff is visiting electric
generators and manufacturers to better understand the cooling water
intake structure (CWIS) technologies in use at facilities, including the
site-specific characteristics of each facility and how these affect the
selection and performance of CWIS technologies.  EPA is also visiting
facilities to better understand cooling water use and specific issues or
technologies that can affect 316(b) compliance.  As part of its site
visit to the Lake Road Plant, EPA also collected information on Kansas
City Power and Light Company’s (KCP&L) Hawthorn Plant.

Facility Description

Hawthorn was dedicated in 1956 and is owned and operated by KCP&L. It is
located on a 550 acre site on the Missouri River, nine miles northeast
of downtown Kansas City, Missouri.  It employs approximately 150 people.
 According to KCP&L’s web site, power generation at Hawthorn
represents 26% of the company’s total production capacity.  

Cooling and process water withdrawals from and wastewater discharges to
the Missouri River are regulated under NPDES permit number MO0004855
which expired on July 27, 2005.  Hawthorn submitted its NPDES permit
application in a timely manner and is awaiting renewal of its permit by
the state.

Electricity Generation and Transmission

Hawthorn has four retired boilers and one coal-fired, steam-electric
generating unit.  Hawthorn’s baseload unit, Unit 5, was upgraded to
563 MW and also retrofitted with additional air controls in 2001.  The
fuel source for Unit 5 is low sulfur Powder River Basin coal.  In
addition, Hawthorn also has a combined cycle unit, Unit 6/9, with a
total generating capacity of 266 MW.

 

Cooling Water System and Intake Structure

Hawthorn has two CWISs that provide once-through cooling water for its
generating units. The CWIS for Unit 5 has two coarse mesh (3/8”)
traveling screens with a design intake flow (DIF) of 91,500 gpm per
screen (total of 263.5 mgd).  The design through-screen velocity is 3.1
feet per second (fps).

The CWIS for Unit 6/9 is fitted with a trash rack and three standard
(i.e., coarse mesh 3/8”) traveling screens. In addition, three
circulating water pumps provide a design flow per screen of 34,000 gpm
(total of 146.9) of cooling water to the generating unit. The through
screen velocity is 2.1 fps.

Hawthorn inspects its traveling screens annually.  It also cleans and
rebuilds each screen every two years (one each year) during its routine
maintenance outage period.    

Impingement and Entrainment Information

KCP&L representatives did not provide any information on impingement,
entrainment or source water body characterization for this site.  

Cooling Tower Feasibility

KCP&L representatives indicated that some of the available land at
Hawthorn is designated as being in a floodplain and therefore
unavailable for construction.  There is additional land outside of the
floodplain that is permitted for a potential future landfill that is
unavailable for siting a cooling tower.

Debris Handling

As with other facilities located on the Missouri River, debris can be
significant at Hawthorn.  

Repowering/Future Uses

Hawthorn has no short term plans for re-powering or upgrading.  

Cooling Ponds

	

Hawthorn does not have any cooling ponds.

Ownership

Hawthorn is owned by KCP&L a subsidiary of Great Plains Energy.  KCP&L
Greater Missouri Operations Company is also a subsidiary of Great Plains
Energy.  Both subsidiaries operate under the KCP&L brand name. 

316(a)

EPA did not collect any information related to 316(a).

Ash Handling

Hawthorn beneficially uses its bottom ash to a local kiln for use in
cement.  Fly ash from the baghouse and scrubber are handled dry and are
re-used in mine reclamation.  

Air Emissions Controls

According to the KCP&L website, Hawthorn uses state of the art BACT to
control air emissions on Unit 5 and has 88 percent lower NOx, 99 percent
lower particulate matter, and 92 percent lower SO2 emissions than would
an uncontrolled facility.  Unit 5 achieves reduced emissions through use
of an SCR, scrubber and baghouses.

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