PUTZBRUNN, Germany, July 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- New EU regulations limiting mercury and SO2 emissions are due to come into force by 2021, and for operators of coal-fired power plants, it's time to act.

The Czech Republic, like many other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, will rely on coal for power production for many more years. A proven, reliable and low cost technology to reduce emissions is needed to meet current and future regulations and to minimize negative environmental impact.

An innovative system made by W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore), is providing the solution.

In the CEZ Group's Mělník I plant, which supplies heat and power to Prague, GORE® Mercury Control Modules will be installed in one of the plant's desulphurization scrubbers as a demonstration project, treating approximately 1,000,000 Nm³/h of flue gas.

Additional modules can be added to that unit and to a second line, bringing both lines into compliance with EU Industrial Emissions Directive regulations.

This is part of an overall strategy of CEZ to reduce emissions according to EU standards and to be fully compliant with all of their plants in the Czech Republic and other countries in the EU.

The GORE Mercury and SO2 Control System (GMCS) is a passive system for flue gas cleaning that consists of modules installed in a plant's wet scrubber.

The Gore system eliminates the need to add chemical additives, and the modules are designed for a service life of several years without maintenance. This eliminates many of the undesirable complications and high operating costs associated with traditional mercury control systems.

The GORE Mercury and SO2 Control System has already been proven for four years in several US coal-fired power plants. Mělník is the fifth power plant in Europe to test or apply the Gore technology. It joins two plants in Poland (Belchatow and Patnow) and two in Germany (Schkopau and Chemnitz).

CEZ is confident that Mělník will again confirm the suitability of the system, especially for European lignite-based power plants.

About Gore: W. L. Gore & Associates is a global materials science company dedicated to transforming industries and improving lives. Since 1958, Gore has solved complex technical challenges in the most demanding environments. Gore generates annual revenues of $3.7 billion.

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