Over $25 billion will be invested in FGD installations by US utilities over the next nine years, according to market analysts McIlvaine Co in a new forecast entitled ‘Air Pollution Management’. $15 billion will be committed to installing scrubbing equipment for existing coal-fired power stations, now that it is apparent that “grandfather” status (ie exemption) for old coal fired plant will not last much longer. And as coal can be counted on to supply more than 50 per cent of electricity in the USA for the next few decades at least construction of new plant can be expected to stay firm or accelerate, resulting in commitment of a further $10 billion for FGD plant.
The forecasts predict an average of three years between order placement and startup. New FGD system orders are expected to be less than $500million in 2001 but power stations already in the planning stage will expand that figure to $4 billion by 2007.
