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Environment Issues
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Pollution Control & Prevention
Environmental regulations and standards are key mechanisms for controlling pollution from industrial sources into the environment. Monitoring and reporting emissions and discharges rates provides essential information to guide environmental polices and decisions. The Bureau is focused on three main aspects as priority areas, namely air pollution, water pollution and soil contamination.
Air Pollution
The major air pollutants emitted from fuel combustion processes in generation and desalination plants are oxides of nitrogen (NOx), oxides of sulphur (SOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and carbon dioxide (CO2)
The primary fuel used in the generation & desalination plants is natural gas piped to the various sites and NOx are the major pollutants emitted due to gas firing. Crude oil and gas oil are used as secondary fuel or in the older units as the main fuel and main pollutants emitted from oil firing are NOx, SOx and particulate matter (PM). CO2 emitted is also regarded as impacting the environment as it contributes to global warming. However, plants firing natural gas and with high fuel efficiency have lower CO2 emissions.
The impacts of these pollutants on the environment is controlled through placing limits on the quantities emitted and to some extent by requiring tall stacks to give good dispersion and dilution to the atmosphere. Accordingly, the Federal Environment Agency (FEA) issued air pollution guideline limits for stationary sources to protect the public health and the environment, these limits are listed in the table below:
| Parameter |
Unit |
Source |
Emission Limit Values
|
| Natural Gas |
Fuel Oil |
| SO2 |
mg/Nm3 |
Combustion Sources |
500 |
500 |
| NOx |
mg/Nm3 |
Fuel Combustion Units |
350 |
500 |
| mg/Nm3 |
Turbine Units |
70 |
150 |
| CO |
mg/Nm3
|
All sources |
500 |
500 |
Aiming to ensure the sector’s compliance with the FEA limits, the Bureau in liaison with EAD commenced a program for monitoring air emissions from licensed generation and desalination plants in Abu Dhabi. The monitoring scheme is primarily focused on monitoring NOx, SOx, CO, and CO2. Information obtained from the monitoring scheme together with data obtained from EAD air quality monitoring study is being processed to evaluate and review the current air pollution limits.
Water Pollution
Protecting the water environment is essential to sustain the many demands that we place on our water environment to support our wellbeing and economy. Therefore, businesses and governmental organisation must all work together to better manage their activities and reduce their impacts. The Bureau contributes to protecting the water environment through developing and implementing policies and regulatory controls that minimize the adverse environmental impact of the sector’s operations on water environment.
In line with Law (24), the FEA issued the following guideline limits for the protection of the marine environment from emissions from industrial sources:
| Parameter |
Unit |
Suggested Limit |
| PHYSICAL PROPERTIES |
| Total Suspended Solids (TSS) |
mg/l |
50 |
| Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) |
mg/l |
1500 |
| pH |
pH units |
6-9 |
| Temperature |
C |
5 |
| Turbidity |
NTU |
75 |
| INORGANIC CHEMICAL PROPERTIES |
| Ammonia Total (N) |
mg/l |
2 |
| Nitrate |
mg/l |
40 |
| Residual Chlorine |
mg/l |
1 |
| Cyanide |
mg/l |
0.05 |
| Dissolved Oxygen |
mg/l |
>3 |
| Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) |
mg/l |
50 |
| Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) |
mg/l |
100 |
| ORGANIC CHEMICAL PROPERTIES |
| Oil & Grease |
mg/l |
10 |
| Phenols |
mg/l |
0.1 |
| Solvent |
mg/l |
None |
| TRACE METALS |
| Cadmium, Cd |
mg/l |
0.05 |
| Chromium, total, Cr |
mg/l |
0.2 |
| Copper, Cu |
mg/l |
0.5 |
| Iron, Fe |
mg/l |
2 |
| Lead, Pb |
mg/l |
0.1 |
| Manganese, Mn |
mg/l |
0.2 |
| Mercury, Hg |
mg/l |
0.001 |
| Nickel, Ni |
mg/l |
0.1 |
| Selenium, Se |
mg/l |
0.02 |
| Silver, Ag |
mg/l |
0.005 |
| Zinc, Zn |
mg/l |
0.5 |
Consequently, towards the end of 2003, the Bureau commenced a program for monitoring water and effluent discharges from the generation and desalination plants. The aim was to ensure compliance with the Federal requirements, monitor the licensees’ performance and progress in preventing pollution, and gather information necessary to enhance the current limits.
Information gathered so far indicated increased salinity and elevated temperature levels of effluents discharged from the generation and desalination plants. However, operational information together with continuous monitoring programs with detailed studies on the characteristics of effluents discharged over extended periods are necessary to guide any changes on the policies or regulations applied.
Soil Contamination
Soil contamination in the water and electricity industry is mainly associated with oil and chemical releases or spills. Spills or leaks from fuel storage tanks can be very damaging to the environment and the complex hydrocarbon compounds in oil can substantially degrade the quality of soil and water resources.
In an effort to eliminate soil and water contamination that result from the releases of fuel from storage tank systems, the Bureau is working on issuing regulations for aboveground fuel storage tanks. The regulations are intended to ensure the prevention and early detection of any fuel releases from aboveground fuel tanks.
Waste
Waste is an inevitable by-product of our use of natural resources. However, it is important to stabilize waste generation in order to minimize the impact on the environment and improve resources efficiency. In Abu Dhabi, waste management is in a period of change. There are pressures to move waste away from the traditional disposal methods to a range of internationally proven technologies for waste management and disposal.
The Bureau together with the licensees have set a waste management hierarchy on the best options to manage waste, this is in the following form:
1. Source Reduction
2. Recycling & Reuse
3. Treatment
4. Disposal
Furthermore, Law No (24) stipulates requirements for the handling of hazardous substances and hazardous wastes and the EAD has developed a program for the management of chemicals and hazardous materials in Abu Dhabi.
Aiming to ensure the sector’s compliance with the law, the Bureau started a waste management reporting scheme on all licensees in 2006. Information gathered will facilitate the development of a regulatory framework for waste to ensure proper management of the sectors’ waste and to make decisions for the safe management of our waste and resources.
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