Orimulsion
Protecting FP&L While You Become Guinea Pigs
Cabinet votes 6-1 to ban the fuel.
Orimulsion is a cheap and abundant Venezuelan tar, which our state’s largest investor-owned utility, Florida Power & Light, wants to burn at their Manatee Plant near Parrish, FL. It’s promoter, Bitor, Inc. (based in South Florida) has negotiated a sweetheart deal between FP&L and the Venezuelan government to assure a cheaper source for fuel for it’s power plants, in an effort to undercut future competitors as the electric industry restructures and deregulates power companies. FP&L would have us believe that Orimulsion would save their customers about $3 per month off their electric bills; so why is FCAN, the state’s largest grassroots consumer and environmental advocacy organization, strongly opposed?
FP&L proposes to import nearly four times the current worlds consumption of Orimulsion through Port Manatee. This fuel has never been used before in the United States. Their plan is based on assumptions and assurances that simply do not stand up under close scrutiny, and that’s why the Governor and Cabinet rejected FP&L’s original proposal by a vote of 4-3 on April 23, 1996. But after revising their proposal with the help of the best lobbyists, lawyers and consultants money could buy, they’ve been given another chance before the original Administrative Hearing Officer, Lawrence Johnston. What FP&L couldn’t or wouldn’t do last year to protect consumers and our environment suddenly can now be accomplished. Whether or not FP&L is just blowing more smoke, the risks of shipping Orimulsion across the Gulf of Mexico and into Tampa Bay as well as burning an even dirtier fuel still far outweigh any possible benefits.
FCAN has a long history of supporting energy efficiency, demand-side management (DSM) and clean alternatives, such as solar power. Florida’s energy needs are already being met today without burning a dirty, high-sulfur fuel. Consumers don’t need FP&L’s new generating capacity – who benefits is the speculative profits of FP&L executives and stockholders! If we must burn another fossil-fuel, why not choose natural gas which burns clean – negating the need for expensive scrubbers and re-burn technology? FCAN is concerned about:
Spills – Despite FP&L’s assurances, they cannot eliminate the chance that natural disasters or human error will cause a devastating spill in Tampa Bay; the August 10, 1993 collision between three ships (one carrying #6 fuel oil for FP&L) is only the latest example. When oil spills, it creates a slick on the surface of the water. But Orimulsion disperses in water – mixing like chocolate milk and sinking up to ten feet deep into the water column – making any possible cleanup difficult if not impossible. Should FP&L succeed in getting permission for their Manatee plant, a Martin County or Sanford plant could be next; soon, the entire coastline could be at risk.
Emissions – Orimulsion is a dirty fuel that would require hundreds of millions of dollars in pollution abatement equipment. But FP&L has not made a commitment to use state of the art equipment, and there’s no guarantee that they would be operated 100% of the time. In addition:
Nitrogen overload is a serious problem in Tampa Bay today, resulting in algae blooms that kill sea grasses by blocking sunlight and causing fish kills by depleting oxygen levels. FP&L’s original plan would install new air emission control equipment, but couldn’t reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) discharges. Now, FP&L says it will hold
NOx emissions to current levels even though it increases usage of their plant by nearly three times. Abracadabra!
Small particulates in the air are the biggest threat to the health of children and seniors. The Manatee Plant is already the biggest emitter of particulates in the state, and Orimulsion also emits nickel and vanadium – heavy metals which are retained in human tissue for life.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) -- the primary cause of the greenhouse effect – would increase, resulting in global warming and climate change. Instead of reducing CO2 emissions, FP&L proposes to double them!
Surfactant – Orimulsion is a mixture of 70% bitumen and 30% water. To suspend the bitumen in water, a surfactant is added, making up about 0.22 percent of the mixture. The current emulsifier, nonylphenol ethoxylate, mimics estrogen – a "gender bender" that can cause sexual dysfunction and deformities in marine creatures. FP&L would import 20 million pounds annually into Tampa Bay while 14 European countries have concluded that it is so toxic to aquatic life that they’ve agreed to ban its use by 2000.
Potential Savings –If you live in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco or Polk counties, you’ll receive none of the savings and most of the risks associated with Orimulsion. If you’re lucky enough to live in FP&L’s service territory, the savings projected are illusive at best. While they claim that the proposed conversion of it’s Manatee Power Plant will result in total net savings of $4 billion over 20 years, an independent review by Fishkind & Associates found no basis to project the sharply widening gap between oil and gas prices projected by FP&L. Furthermore, their analysis of the costs and benefits involved neglected important items on the cost side, including the $200 million environmental trust fund which would be paid by ratepayers, not FP&L. The bottom line – a present value of only $58 million – chump change not justified by the risks and uncertainties. And to add insult to injury, FP&L recently admitted that they intend to ask the PSC for at least $15 million from ratepayers to cover the costs of their Orimulsion campaign.
Transportation – The pollution controls needed to burn Orimulsion would require 400 trips a day by 18-wheelers on narrow roads, hauling in limestone and removing gypsum, a byproduct which would be sold for drywall. A storm of protest concerned about safety issues by neighborhood associations in Parrish and Port Tampa has resulted in a revised plan to switch to rail instead. What was deemed "not feasible" before, suddenly is, despite the gypsum trains would pass 150 road-level crossings in Manatee and Hillsborough counties, including downtown Tampa.
The Future – This new process would use more water than present processes or alternative fuels, at a time where we need to use less water, not more. Even security interests are at stake, as FP&L proposes the use of yet another fuel controlled by a foreign power.
FP&L’s plan to burn Orimulsion is a risky experiment that gambles with Florida’s future. They are asking you to be the guinea pigs in the first ongoing use of Orimulsion in this country. But the company has failed to prove that the public interest in theoretical savings is greater than the risks of potential damage to Florida’s unique environment and tourism-based economy. If Orimulsion is so great, why doesn’t Venezuela burn it?