TRACK G: O&M, DDD & EHS, Fire Safety
ACCEPTING ABSTRACTSON: Decommissioning & Demolition, O&M, Power Plants, Ducts, Performance & Risk Mgmt; CHP; O&M, EHS, ISO 14001, EMS, Asset Mgmt, D&D; Fire Protection, Risk & Data Mgmt, Energy Storage; APM, RAP
G1.1 Foundations of Demolition Management
8 am – 8:20 am PDT
11 am – 11:20 am EST
G1.1 Foundations of Demolition Management
I will be presenting to the utilities and contractors the great value in acquiring the knowledge they will gain from the National Demolition Association 40 hour “Foundations of Demolition Management” training certificate course. It’s composed of four following training modules that will greatly assist them in the management of their next power plant decommissioning project. • Foundations of Demolition Estimating • Foundations of Demolition Project Management • Foundations of Demolition Job Cost Tracking • Foundations of Demolition Risk Management. Notably, nearly every utility and fortune 500 that I have served in the planning and management of their power plant decommissioning projects and program have developed a risk register and this become a very valuable tool for owners and contractor alike as this will be the focus on this presentation.
G1.2 Avoid a Failure: System Critical Bus Duct Maintenance Best Practices
8:20 am – 8:40 am PDT
11:20 am – 11:40 am EST
G1.2 Avoid a Failure: System Critical Bus Duct Maintenance Best Practices
The purpose of this presentation is to educate the audience on best practices that have been identified for analysis, inspection, cleaning, and maintenance of the bus duct systems of the power generation facility. Many plant operations and maintenance managers ignore the bus duct system, forgetting it is a system critical component in the power plant that does not have redundancy AND is connected to expensive plant assets on both ends. Common statements made before a bus duct failure include “It has no moving parts, what could go wrong with it.” Or, “It has run without issue since the plant was built, why do we need to open it up now?” And another common statement; “We inspect the exterior of the bus and do IR scans of the enclosure regularly.” Inevitably, plants that operate under any of these philosophies have or will experience a failure of their bus. This presentation will explain why. The presentation will review numerous case studies from over forty years of field findings from Electrical Builders, Inc. (EBI). Presentation topics will include IEEE industry standards, inspection options (both online and offline), testing requirements, life extension options, current trends in predictive maintenance programs, the ramifications of poorly and/or inadequately maintained bus duct systems, and best practices for bus duct system inspection and maintenance.
G1.3 Encapsulator Agent Energy Storage System Fire Protection Systems
8:40 am – 9 am PDT
11:40 am – 12 pm EST
G1.3 Encapsulator Agent Energy Storage System Fire Protection Systems
Learning Objectives: 1. To understand why high-voltage battery fires are challenging and dangerous 2. To understand the technology behind encapsulator agents 3. To compare various other methods of extinguishment. Starting in 2009, Bosch named the encapsulator agent the product of choice for extinguishing lithium-ion battery fires. Dekra Automobil GmbH concluded testing on the same encapsulator agent for high-voltage vehicles in 2012 and confirmed their recommendation. Most recently Johnson Controls, Inc. and other Third part testing agencies have all concluded that encapsulator agent that meet NFPA 18A 7.7 requirement are the only effective extinguishing agent for lithium-ion batteries since it can stop thermal runaway, reduce the toxic HF and other gases released during fires.
G1.4 Fire Protection for Energy Storage System Batteries
9 am – 9:20 am PDT
12 pm – 12:20 pm EST
G1.4 Fire Protection for Energy Storage System Batteries
Presenting burn test and failure information on real world test of Lithium-ion Battery Energy Storage Systems. Reviewing off-gassing to failure to include the fire and explosion hazard they may present. Understanding gas composition of cells in thermal run-away and propagation. Code requirements and recommendations to include options for detection, venting and deflagration control. Where is the industry going and what are the best practice for fire and explosion mitigation and First Responder Safety with the increased use of Energy Storage Systems?
G1.5 Moving from Lagging to Leading Indicators in Improve Safety Performance
9:20 am – 9:40 am PDT
12:20 pm – 12:40 pm EST
G1.5 Moving from Lagging to Leading Indicators in Improve Safety Performance
Integrated operational risk management is proven to keep people safer, make businesses more productive and operations more sustainable, but many organizations are unclear on the steps to attain these results. The goal is to construct a process that gives true visibility and insight to your risks and risk profile so they can be actioned upon with efficiency, but what does an integrated operational risk management process look like in regards to risk assessment, barrier management, risk register, process safety, incident management, permit to work, compliance, change management and other considerations? Learn how industry leaders ensure lessons learned from all operational risks become part of their best practice culture and what is required to be successful.
G1.6 CEE Integrated Home Initiative — A Connected, Interactive, Fuel Neutral, and Efficient Vision
9:40 am – 10 am PDT
12:40 pm – 1 pm EST
G1.6 CEE Integrated Home Initiative -- A Connected, Interactive, Fuel Neutral, and Efficient Vision
This session will provide an overview of the brand new CEE Integrated Home Initiative, which establishes whole house principles regarding privacy and security and provides important context for the array of manufacturers and service providers to represent relevant customer solutions that are codependent upon the functionality of other products in the home. The Initiative espouses the critical obligations of utilities across the United States and Canada to provide safe, reliable, and affordable energy service while advancing a decarbonized future. Customer ease of use and configuration are concerted perspectives; the Initiative’s frame supports machine learning and vetted artificial intelligence applications.
This work is driven by the following four tenets: Energy Efficiency, Load Management and Demand Flexibility, Customer Amenity, and Security and Privacy
The CEE Integrated Home includes the home envelope and connected products within the residential home bounds. The Initiative provides flexibility for programs to adopt the products and home envelope strategy that best suit individual IDSM needs. The Minimum Requirements define capabilities that any product, device, or system must meet to comply with the CEE Integrated Home Initiative.
QUESTIONS
1. What products and connected devices are covered within the scope of the CEE Integrated Home Initiative?
2. What are the functionalities and minimum requirements necessary for products to be capable of in order to comply with the CEE Integrated Home Initiative?
3. How are products identified and promoted as compliant with the CEE Integrated Home Initiative?
G2.1 Need to Decommissioning Your Power Plant? What to Know and Do First
10:30 am – 10:50 am PDT
1:30 pm – 1:50 pm EST
G2.1 Need to Decommissioning Your Power Plant? What to Know and Do First?
As more utilities close fossil fuel fired power plants and make decisions about the end use of these sites, plant owners are faced with unplanned and sometimes competing fiscal and regulatory challenges when planning for plant decommissioning and potential demolition. Where does a facility start? Understanding the actions to be taken in advance of the actual shutdown can be critical to the successful execution of the project. This presentation will focus on initial planning and the areas that a facility should focus on. What research and documentation for the areas of permits, financial, contracts and other agreements will be discussed.
G2.2 Decommissioning Alternatives: Preparing Plants for Adaptive Reuse
10:50 am – 11:10 am PDT
1:50 pm – 2:10 pm EST
G2.2 Decommissioning Alternatives: Preparing Plants for Adaptive Reuse
As aging power plants are decommissioned, choices arise: Plants may be mothballed, repowered, fully demolished, selectively demolished for investment recovery, or redeveloped for some other use, depending on the situation. While there is much industry focus on complete demolition of decommissioned plants, this talk focuses on the alternative solution of ‘adaptive reuse’. A survey of adaptive reuse projects achieved across the world will be presented as examples of successful power plant redevelopment to demonstrate what is achievable where structures of historic and/or significant structural value are positioned in the right places to enable effective economic redevelopment opportunities. Typical steps required to prepare these structures for reuse, where applicable, will be covered through presentation of a brief case study.
QUESTIONS
1. Which buildings are typically subject for reuse? (any building / structure has potential)
2. What’s a reasonable goal for waste management recycling? (30% – 50%)
3. What cost recovery (%) can be expected from salvage and reuse? (20% – 30%, possibly higher with proactive salvage planning)
4. How much time is required for pre-development tasks like due diligence, planning and permitting? (4-6 months to years, depending on format [public/private])
5. When do you foster stakeholder alignment? (pre-planning stages)
G2.3 Decommissioning Power Plants – The Human Element
11:10 am – 11:30 am PDT
2:10 pm – 2:30 pm EST
G2.3 Decommissioning Power Plants - The Human Element
Staffing power plants that are shuttering is challenging. Identifying and planning early are necessities. O&M personnel, as well as planners, engineers, technicians, etc., are retiring or leaving current positions for other jobs to alleviate the need to uproot. This creates a void to safely and efficiently operate the plant until final shutdown. Contract teams of O&M personnel are moving from plant to plant filling the void where power companies may not have the resources to recruit qualified personnel or want to alleviate the need to relocate or provide severance to full time employees upon shuttering.
Co-Author: Mark Aldrich, Enthalpy Energy Services, LLC.
G2.4 Safety Considerations for Plant Decommissioning & Demolition
11:30 am – 11:50 am PDT
2:30 pm – 2:50 pm EST
G2.4 Safety Considerations for Plant Decommissioning & Demolition
The demolition of a power plant presents a unique challenge to utilities. It is important to understand the steps involved in order to conduct abatement and demolition work safely. Demolition of a power plant is different from constructing a new facility in that the dropping and removal of equipment can be unpredictable, therefore safe and controlled methods must be employed. Proper planning is necessary to implement demolition for these plants so that the work can be conducted safely, reduce overall cost and the utility will have a clean, reusable site.
This presentation provides a description of some of the key items required to safely plan and implement a successful demolition project. Different types of demolition methods will be described along with several steps to be considered to plan a safe project.
Co-Author: Donald Barris, III, Burns and McDonnell Engineering Co., Inc.
G2.5 Transferring Assets and Liabilities During Power Plant Decommissioning
11:50 am – 12:10 pm PDT
2:50 pm – 3:10 pm EST
G2.5 Transferring Assets and Liabilities During Power Plant Decommissioning
During power plant decommissioning, budget forecasts seldom align with actual costs – this can be due to a variety of factors including: higher than expected concentrations of environmental contamination, changes to regulatory requirements, fluctuating interest rates, fluctuating scrap and salvage prices, contractor disputes, unforeseen conditions, fluctuating real estate values and so on. Often the cost to decommission a power plant can be greater than the original cost to build and bring online. This presentation will present a strategy designed for utilities and other stakeholders seeking to control cost and risk during the power plant closure process. A properly formed ELT (Environmental Liability Transfer) can transfer all environmental liabilities, demolition and abatement obligations, and indemnify the Seller from environmental and regulatory obligations in perpetuity. Additionally, this strategy creates a financed pathway to redevelopment of the property, eliminating the negative stigma when an energy company exits a local community. This presentation will present examples from ELT’s 7 power plant decommissioning projects, including plants from AEP, DTE Energy, Dynegy/Vistra, Alliant Energy, Ameren, and others.
G2.6 Utility Isolation & Reconfiguration Challenges with Plant Decommissioning
12:10 pm – 12:30 pm PDT
3:10 pm – 3:30 pm EST
G2.6 Utility Isolation & Reconfiguration Challenges with Plant Decommissioning
As part of the decommissioning and demolition process of a plant, a variety of utilities and services need to either be isolated or reconfigured to support the retirement as well as any ongoing site operations. Many older multi-unit or multi-facility sites have shared utilities and services between units or facilities that introduce additional layers of complexity related to the separation for a partial retirement or retirement-in-place approach. Furthermore, identifying, locating, and implementing temporary utilities for use during the decommissioning and demolition activities is also often required. Proper identification of, planning for, and sequencing of utility isolations and reconfigurations is critical for successful, timely, and safe completion of decommissioning activities.
This presentation discusses an approach to identification, isolation, and reconfiguration of utilities at plants that will make decommissioning and demolition projects proceed efficiently.
Co-Author: Ryan Easterling, Burns and McDonnell Engineering Co., Inc.
G3.1 High-Frequency Data Collection and Environmental Acocunting
1 pm – 1:20 pm PDT
4 pm – 4:20 pm EST
G3.1 High-Frequency Data Collection and Environmental Accounting
Environmental emission calculations and compliance with permit limits require access to many sources of data. Automating the collection of data provides a huge time savings for your environmental staff and reduces possible errors. Once data is retrieved, especially high-frequency data, it takes time to ensure it can be used effectively. In this session, you will learn: • Why there is value in connecting to hundreds of resources like historians, laboratory information management systems and accounting systems. • What data is needed for compliance purposes. • How you can achieve operational excellence in highly regulated industries. • When and where you can accelerate data collection, ensure data integrity and provide a full audit trail for complex regulatory requirements.
G3.2 Creating Value with Managed Corporate EHS & Asset Management
1:20 pm – 1:40 pm PDT
4:20 pm – 4:40 pm EST
G3.2 Creating Value with Managed Corporate EHS & Asset Management
Utilities and IPP’s are streamlining their internal EHS functions to achieve their environmental compliance needs – leveraging new technologies, third party providers and flexible staffing models. ERM has been helping to manage this transition with some of the largest utilities and IPPs over the last few years for both generating and transmission businesses – from running existing assets to grid modernization, climate change hardening and other reliability programs and assistance in sale and transfer of assets. For two major IPPs, we have spent the last year providing the corporate environmental function, proving that undertaking performance-based managed services can deliver regulatory compliance while maintaining and increasing the value of the assets. SCALE: 40+ assets across 10 states o Operating nuclear, coal, oil & gas-fired power plants o Decommissioned plants o Ash landfills PROGRAM: Key elements include o Transition meetings with legacy corporate o Dedicated project management & accounting o Facility points-of-contact o Subject matter experts on tap o Dashboards leveraging corporate EMS compliance data ASSET MANAGEMENT positioning for sale o Packaging of assets for maximum value o Permit “diet” o Separation & transfer of permits o Surveys/photos o Highest and best use LESSONS: Importance of o Scope and budget buy-in o Access to existing tools/files/templates o Communication of roles / expectations o New mechanisms of communication
G3.3 Solar PV Redevelopment for Decommissioned Coal Plants
1:40 pm – 2 pm PDT
3:40 pm – 5 pm EST
G3.3 Solar PV Redevelopment for Decommissioned Coal Plants
The installation of a solar plant at a closed or decommissioned coal plant can change the site from a liability to an asset. Brownfield redevelopment, however, presents significant environmental and regulatory compliance risks. Unlike some redevelopment opportunities, photovoltaic solar facilities may be highly compatible with the existing site due to the relative low impact of the new facility to existing subsurface conditions. The site may also continue in the same land use, utility/electric generation, and may continue with the same ownership. In this presentation, we will describe the environmental and regulatory risks associated with power plant redevelopment and will describe the benefits of a proactive environmental risk management program. The presentation will be a primer for the key environmental considerations, applicable solar PV permitting requirements, and decommissioning /site reuse process.
Co-Author: Russell Light, Sargent & Lundy
G3.4 Risk-Based Portfolio Management RAP – Risk Assessment Profiler
2 pm – 2:20 pm PDT
5 pm – 5:20 pm EST
G3.4 Risk-Based Portfolio Management RAP - Risk Assessment Profiler
Various factors and practices can negatively affect the performance of capital infrastructure projects; however, many industry studies identify insufficient risk management as one of the common key contributors. The goal of risk management is to prevent and reduce the threats a project may face before they occur, while minimizing the impacts of an unpreventable or unforeseen risks. Projects aren’t the only organizational risk, as companies must also consider risk management for their enterprise, assets, suppliers, cyber programs, etc. This presentation will review how to identify, understand, manage, and mitigate risk factors for a portfolio of projects, assets, and critical operational functions. The presentation will discuss the three risk analysis approaches; qualitative, schedule and quantitative analytics and how to apply them to a portfolio of projects across the enterprise. The concepts presented leverages utilizing a checklist methodology documented by certain PMI studies which will be discussed. This approach identifies risk categories, elements, with specific weighted values to comprise a project risk score which is the qualitative analytics. The next step for a project is to perform a schedule risk analysis with simulation and followed by the development of a risk register with events and mitigation actions.
G3.5 A System Approach to Managing Environmental Programs
2:20 pm – 2:40 pm PDT
5:20 pm – 5:40 pm EST
G3.5 A Systems Approach to Managing Environmental Programs
Environmental managers face an increasingly complex and changing landscape of risks and requirements while having limited resources available to effectively manage their responsibilities. A formal environmental management system (EMS) approach can help the organization to: identify, prioritize, and reduce risks; improve compliance with environmental requirements; encourage stakeholder engagement; and support the overall sustainability of the organization. This presentation will include: an overview of ISO 14001 for EMS; the benefits of a management system approach, including the use of audits to manage risks; implementation strategies and challenges; and information management strategies; (approval for a demonstration of a utility EMS is pending).
G3.6 Keys to Transforming Organizational Performance
2:40 pm – 3 pm PDT
5:40 pm – 6 pm EST
G3.6 Keys to Transforming Organizational Performance
Organizations have a unique opportunity to transform their safety and loss prevention performance by adopting an alternative, but proven process that is based on human and organizational performance principles. This approach requires leaders to think and manage differently and challenges industry paradigms and assumptions. Organizations should adopt the three themes presented to improve their safety and loss prevention performance: 1. Study and learn from success, not just failure; 2. integrate the safety and loss prevention system into existing organizational systems and processes to achieve business goals and objectives; and 3. implement a leadership development model with a competency roadmap to improve and sustain performance.
The large majority of safety and loss prevention systems focus on the prevention of and learning from failure (e.g., improper risk assessment, at-risk item in a workplace observation, and near-loss or an adverse event that requires an investigation). Learning from these examples is essential to improve an organization’s safety and loss prevention; however to further enhance performance, organizations should also study success –– how and why activities are performed flawlessly. Tasks are performed successfully more regularly and better represent how work is done. These perspectives should be seen as complementary views to improve how all work is performed, which have implications on revenue losses, asset reliability, environmental and regulatory issues, water safety and quality, equipment and property damage, etc. –– not just personnel safety.
Because these complementary views can have a significant impact on overall business performance, the safety and loss prevention system should be integrated into an organization’s goals and business objectives. Safety and loss prevention systems are seen by many as individual or unique activities that are not related to and, therefore, not integrated into the business, which leads to a compliance-based mentality that adds limited value. To properly achieve these results, organizations need to define specific organizational improvement goals (e.g., workplace injuries, asset reliability, regulatory performance, water safety and quality, revenue losses, etc.) and identify the activities and processes that have the greatest impact on them to properly integrate the system into high-risk activities and error-likely situations.
These two unique approaches challenge current industry paradigms and require leaders to think and manage differently. Therefore, an effective leadership development and competency roadmap that facilitates trust, collaboration, and learning across all levels is needed to successfully lead, integrate, and, most importantly, sustain the safety and loss prevention system. By properly addressing these three principles, leaders can establish the conditions for organizational resilience and world-class performance.
QUESTIONS
1. What types of tools would you recommend that an organization have within their safety and loss prevention system?
2. What is the best way to integrate a safety and loss prevention system into the organization?
3. What are some examples of leadership practices that are critical to improve safety and loss prevention performance?