Carlsbad Energy Center -
Project Update
Dear Neighbors:
On November 12, 2009 the Carlsbad Energy Center Project (CECP) received an approval recommendation from the California Energy Commission Staff in their Final Staff Assessment (FSA). The Staff’s endorsement marks a significant permitting milestone that will advance modernization plans for NRG’s Encina Power Station in Carlsbad. With the release of the Energy Commission’s Final Staff Assessment, this modern, lower profile power plant providing cleaner electricity generation is one step closer to approval.
According to the FSA, CEC staff concluded that the CECP “would comply with all applicable laws, ordinances, regulations and standards.” Energy Commission Staff also concluded “that significant adverse direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts would not occur, and/or can be brought to a level of less than significant.”
The CEC’s Final Staff Assessment comes on the heels of the San Diego Air Pollution Control District’s August release of their Final Determination of Compliance (FDOC), where the Air District concluded that CECP will meet all ambient air quality standards and achieve public health goals.
A public workshop on the air quality aspects of the FSA as well as the FDOC was held on December 2, 2009 at the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa. The next step in our process is the evidentiary hearings. These will take place February 1st through February 4th in front of representatives of the CEC. The hearings will be located at the Hilton Garden Inn, 6450 Carlsbad Boulevard, Carlsbad from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. Evening sessions will be announced at the beginning of the year.
Please see November 2009 newsletter for FSA details.
CEC Approved Project Renderings
There has been a great deal of misinformation circulating throughout the community about the effort to replace the aging Encina Power Station with a more efficient and cleaner-operating facility. In an effort to clear up the confusion and to provide factual information on the Carlsbad Energy Center Project, we have put together a Fact Fiction Information Sheet for your convenience. Additionally, a recent City mailer mischaracterized the actual size of the proposed project. Below is an accurate rendering of the proposed project as prescribed under the rules and regulations of the CEC.
|
|
Carlsbad Energy Center Project:
General Description
Carlsbad Energy Center LLC proposes to develop a natural gas-fired generating facility in the City of Carlsbad in San Diego County, California. The proposed Carlsbad project will be a fast-start high-efficiency, combined-cycle facility that will support San Diego Gas & Electric's local load and provide overall system reliability.
Carlsbad Energy Center LLC (the Applicant), an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of NRG Energy, Inc., is proposing to develop the Carlsbad Project to meet the electrical resource needs as defined by San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E). This includes contributing to electricity reserves that will ensure a reliable energy supply and local and regional electrical transmission grid support in San Diego County and the southern California region.
Carlsbad Project will be a 558 MW gross combined-cycle generating facility configured using two units with one natural-gas-fired combustion turbine and one steam turbine per or unit.
The approximately 23-acre Carlsbad Project site is located in the city of Carlsbad, in San Diego County in an area zoned Public Utility, which specifically allows electrical generation and transmission facilities.
As part of the Carlsbad Project, existing steam boiler Units 1, 2, and 3 at the Encina Power Station will be retired. The retirements will occur upon the successful commercial operations of the new Carlsbad Project generating units. The retirements will create substantial environmental benefits, including permanent air emission reductions from the boiler units; elimination of the 225 million gallons per day of cooling water (seawater) intake capacity for Units 1-3 and the resulting decrease in impingement and entrainment of marine organisms attributed to those unit's cooling water flow; cessation of discharge of wastewaters to the Pacific Ocean from Units 1-3; and elimination of the use of potable water attributed to the existing operation of Units 1-3.
|
|
