Emission control plays an important role in the operation of our plants. This includes all necessary measures to protect the environment from harmful effects (emissions) of air pollutants, noise, vibration, heat, light or electromagnetic fields. In the following, you will learn more about our activities to minimise the emissions from our plants.
Reduction of pollutant emissions
We strive to credibly reconcile corporate, political and social objectives in the environmental field. Derived from our EnBW strategy, our environmental aspects and the requirements of the energy revolution, in environmental protection, we focus on the reduction of pollutant emissions as one crucial fields of action. We have set ourselves the target of reducing the SO₂ intensity and the NOx intensity from own generation of electricity by 15 % to 25 % and 10 % to 20 % respectively by 2025 compared to the base year 2018.
Fossil power plants
State-of-the-art technology for the environment
EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG operates several plants with fossil firing. In combination with combined heat and power generation and using modern flue gas cleaning systems, they generate energy efficiently and in an environmentally friendly manner.
Our fossil fuel power plants use three different methods of air quality control.
1. Denitrification
The denitrification plant operates in the so-called selective catalytic reduction process: Here ammonia is injected into the hot flue gas and the mixture is passed over catalysts in which a chemical reaction takes place, converting over 70% of the nitrogen oxides (NOX) into harmless nitrogen (N₂) and water (H₂O).
2. Dedusting
Dedusting removes the fly ash from the flue gas. This process takes place in large electrostatic precipitators. There, spray electrodes build up a strong electrical field in which the ash particles are negatively charged. These are then deposited on the positively charged separating plates and are removed by rapping devices. More than 99.9 % of the fly ash can thus be removed from the flue gas.
3. Desulphurisation
In the desulphurisation process, the exhaust gas contaminated with sulphur dioxide (SO₂) flows upwards in a scrubber and is sprayed with a suspension of limestone and water. This binds the SO₂ and is collected in the absorber sump. With the air blown in there, the calcium sulphite - the reaction product of sulphur dioxide, limestone and water - oxidises to calcium sulphate (gypsum). The degree of separation for the sulphur dioxide is more than 90 % in the wet scrubbing process.
Power grid
Emission protection in the electricity grid mainly concerns:
- noise emissions of the extra-high voltage overhead lines and
- physically induced electric and magnetic fields of overhead lines, underground cables and installations for the transformation of electrical energy.
Our network subsidiary TransnetBW GmbH is responsible for the electricity transmission network of EnBW as an independent transport network operator. It is responsible for all emission protection measures and activities in the transmission grid. These are described on the TransnetBW GmbH (in German) website.