Brilliant, Ohio-Nearly 100 pounds of ammonia that leaked late on Sept. 19 from the emissions control equipment at AEP’s Cardinal plant here caused no injuries to plant personnel or residents in nearby homes, according to the company. AEP spokeswoman Melissa McHenry told Green Markets the problem was identified as a failed gasket in the plant’s selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system. She said the investigation is continuing, but preliminary estimates were that 89 pounds of ammonia were released in the incident. She said the leak was quickly detected, the SCR shut down immediately, and the gasket replaced, adding that all the appropriate agencies were alerted. The Brilliant Volunteer Fire Department responded and the department’s hazmat team was placed on alert, but their help wasn’t needed since plant personnel had the situation under control after about 30 minutes. Press reports indicated a cloud drifted for a time over the residential area surrounding the Cardinal plant, which McHenry described as not heavily populated. McHenry told Green Markets that SCR technology is used in emission controls at other AEP plants. In the case at Cardinal, dry urea to operate the SCR is obtained from several different dealers.
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