This is a 2544-ton-per-day coal gasification plant on the Wabash River in Indiana. (Photo: Department of Energy)
Our efforts to block the coal fired power plant in Kalama have been successful. In their meeting held on September 9, 2008, the State of Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council announced that The Pacific Mountain Energy Center in Kalama is being redesigned as the Kalama Energy Project. The newly renamed project will eliminate all the gasification facilities originally planned for the site and run exclusively on natural gas.
In the fall of 2007, the Rosemere Neighborhood Association, along with five other Northwest environmental groups including Columbia Riverkeeper, Willapa Audubon Society, Washington Environmental Council, Sierra Club’s Cascade Chapter and Northwest Energy Coalition were granted the legal status to intervene in the permitting process for Energy Northwest’s proposed 680-megawatt coal-fueled Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plant in Kalama. According to Washington State law, coal burning facilities like the one proposed at Pacific Mountain are required to capture and sequester millions of tons of toxic greenhouse gasses and other contaminants rather than allow them to spew into the ambient air. The environmental groups along with the State Attorney General’s Office and the Washington State Department of Ecology filed objections to the proposed coal-fueled power plant, specifically concerning Energy Northwest’s greenhouse gas “sequestration plan.”
From Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council Meeting meeting minutes:
Pacific Mountain Energy Center Project Update
Ted Beatty & Jack Baker
Energy NorthwestMr. Jack Baker, Vice President of Energy Business Services with Energy Northwest (ENW), reported to the Council that the Pacific Mountain Energy Center (PMEC) was being redesigned into the Kalama Energy project. Mr. Baker introduced project manager Mr. Ted Beatty, ENW. Mr. Beatty stated that ENW will be submitting an application amendment in October. The amendment will eliminate all the gasification facilities, leaving only a combined cycle power block, running exclusively on natural gas. The project will remain at approximately the same output of 680 megawatts. ENW is changing the name of the project to avoid confusion with the gasification plant. By the October Council meeting ENW hopes to restart the adjudication process by submitting a motion to lift the stay on the adjudicative proceeding. Mr. Beatty stated that the project will be able to meet the standards of RCW 80.80 as well as RCW 80.70. The size of the plant footprint is being reduced from approximately 90 acres to 16 acres. He noted that the portion of the site that included the railroad loop has been removed eliminating any impact to wetlands. Mr. Beatty said ENW will be submitting new National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) wastewater permit application as well as the Prevention of Significant Determination (PSD) application with the revised application for site certification.
In other news from the State of Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council:
11-20-08 – State Supreme Court upholds Governor Gregoire and EFSEC’s approval of the Kittitas Valley Wind Power Project.
The Kittitas Valley Wind Power Project turbines are proposed to be located in the ridge located on either side of Hwy 97, approximately halfway between Ellensburg and Cle Elum Washington.
The project will consist of a maximum 65 3-bladed wind turbines. The name plate capacity between 98-198 megawatts.
The project would interconnect directly with either Puget Sound Energy’s 230kV Rocky Reach-White River Transmission line or Bonneville Power Administration’s (BPA) Grand Coulee-Olympia or Columbia-Covington 287kV lines, all of which pass directly over the project site.
Read the full Supreme Court decision here.
11-10-08 – Wild Horse Wind- Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Wild Horse Wind Power Project proposed expansion. Comments due 12-15-08.
The Wild Horse Wind Power Project is located approximately 10 miles east of Kittitas, Washington. This alternative energy wind project consists of 127 turbines with maximum installed capacity of 229 megawatts.
The site is approximately 8600 acres of open rangeland. The Wild Horse Wind Power Project interconnects to the Puget Sound Energy Transmission System.
Governor Gregoire approved the Wild Horse Wind Power Project July 26, 2005. Construction began October 2005 and was completed in December 2006.
For more information on the State of Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, visit their website at http://www.efsec.wa.gov/, or look for updates here on the Rosemere Neighborhood Association website.
