Gulf Coast CHP - Current Status

Current Status

Gulf Coast Pharmaceutical Quick Facts

No. of Gulf Coast CHP sites: 2
% of Gulf Coast CHP sites: <1%
Date of first Gulf Coast CHP site: 1970
Existing Gulf Coast CHP capacity: 14 MW
% of regional CHP capacity: <1%

National CHP capacity and profile

Nationwide, CHP capacity for this market is estimated at 740 MW.2 This figure represents less than 1% of the total CHP capacity for the nation. In the chart below, pharmaceuticals is not specifically broken out. It is a subset within the Chemicals slice.

National CHP capacity, as of 2004.

Source: Hedman, 2005; see also CHP Installation Database - 2006 Status Report, Energy and Environmental Analysis, Inc, www.eea-inc.com

Typical Pharmaceutical CHP Profile for the Nation2

Mean capacity for pharmaceutical preparation sites is 16.5 MW (median of 4.2 MW).
Mean capacity for medicinal and botanical sites is 51.6 MW (median of 34.8 MW).
Natural gas fuel with lesser amounts of coal, oil and waste.
Prime movers are gas or steam turbines and combined cycle systems with fewer reciprocating engines and other prime mover types.

Select Case Studies, to see how others in this market have implemented CHP.

Regional CHP sites and profile

In our three state region, pharmaceutical plants have invested in combined heat and power for more than thirty-five years. The first installation was in 1970 at the Rhone Poulenc Chemical Company, Houston, Texas.1 CHP is also found at the Stauffer Chemical Company in Manchester, Texas.1 CHP was installed at this second site in 1984.

Pharmaceutical CHP Profile for the Region1

Moderate capacity sizes (6.5 & 7.5 MW)
Boiler/steam turbine systems
Prime movers are fueled either by natural gas or an unspecified fuel type
Both sites sell excess power to the utilities.

For a listing of CHP installations by state, go to Combined Heat and Power Installation Database.

Regional CHP capacity

Capacity for the two pharmaceutical sites in our region is 7.5 MW and 6.5 MW, respectively.1 Pharmaceutical sites represent <1% of the total CHP capacity for our region.1 In the chart below, pharmaceuticals would again be a subset of the Chemicals slice.

Regional CHP capacity, as of 2004.

Source: Hedman, 2005; see also CHP Installation Database - 2006 Status Report, Energy and Environmental Analysis, Inc, www.eea-inc.com

Although CHP has been implemented at only two Pharmaceutical sites in our region; this pattern does not reflect the true value of CHP to the pharmaceutical market. Upside potential exists for CHP in this sector in 2-50 MW size range, as well as for direct contact water heating, indirect thermal fluid heating and indirect air/gas heating applications in the 1 MW and smaller size range.4,5 Go to Future Potential for more on this topic.

References

1 - Combined Heat and Power Installation Database

Energy and Environmental Analysis (2005)
Database provides information on CHP sites by state, including city, site and organization name, business activity, year of installation, prime mover, fuel type and capacity.

2 - Sector Profiles of Significant Large CHP Markets

(352 KB)

Energy and Environmental Analysis (2004)
Presentation profiles three large CHP markets (Chemicals, Food, and Pharmaceuticals) identified as having the greatest near-term CHP growth potential.

3 - CHP Market Status

(1.26 MB)

Hedman, B. (2005)
Presentation given at the Gulf Coast CHP Roadmapping Workshop, which reviews the status of existing CHP at the national level, and compares national results with existing CHP in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. Technical potential for additional CHP in this three state region is also provided.

4 - Assessment of Large Combined Heat and Power Market

(490 KB)

Energy and Environmental Analysis (April 2004)
An economic assessment of the 2-50 MW combined heat and power market. Evaluations focused on five prime movers, three types of gas turbines and two types of reciprocating engines.

5 - Assessment of Replicable Innovative Industrial Cogeneration Applications

(984 KB)

Resource Dynamics (2001)
This report describes industrial applications for smaller CHP systems (less than 1 MW in size). The authors focus on turbine, microturbine, and reciprocating engines technologies for five generic industrial processes.