The Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W) is working with Wuhan Kaidi Electric Power Company to help it meet air quality improvement goals through the design, installation and operation of B&W's Wet Flue Gas Desulfurization (WFGD) technology.

More commonly known as "scrubbers," this technology reduces sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from coal-fired power plants through a reaction process that turns the SO2 into a reusable or disposable gypsum byproduct.

Since the licensing agreement with B&W was signed in August 2002, Kaidi has sold and installed 16,070 megawatts (MW) of scrubber capacity, including units that are currently in the design and construction phase. Of this total, in 2004, Kaidi received orders to install B&W's environmental equipment on eight contracts in China totaling 7,470 MW. In 2005 to date, Kaidi has received orders for an additional four contracts totaling 3,600 MW.

Energy demand continues to grow in China, where high-sulfur coal is fired in three-quarters of the country's power plants. The country estimates that damage to the environment and human health caused by acid rain and SO2 pollution translates into economic losses of 110 billion yuan (US$13.3 billion) annually.

More than 21 million tons of SO2 were emitted in 2003, and 22.5 million tons in 2004. Through its Five-Year Plans, The State Environmental Protection Administration of China has called for reductions in SO2 throughout the country.

"Kaidi engineers have been extensively trained in the application and technical support of B&W's WFGD technology and we continue to support Kaidi's WFGD projects through in-country engineering support and support from our engineering offices in Barberton, Ohio," said John Black, director of Business Development at B&W. "We are pleased to have a role in developing and applying solutions that use China's supply of coal and improve the quality of the environment in that part of the world."

Based in Wuhan, Kaidi participates in the development and application of new environmental protection products and technologies for the electric power industry.

Kaidi is mainly engaged in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) projects, providing complete plant design, installation, operator training, and start-up/commissioning services for WFGD systems for fossil-fueled electric power generating stations and other environmental technologies. Its emphasis is on state-of-the-art clean coal technologies, thermal power generation and waste-to-energy projects.