Posted by Caroline on February 20, 2007, 12:52 pm http://www.dgcleanpower.com/Billerica.htm The also have a January Newsletter (text below) : http://www.dgcleanpower.com/January07Newsletter.pdf Billerica Energy Center - Reliable Power for the Greater Lowell Region Montgomery Energy Billerica Power Partners LP is proposing to develop a "peaking" power plant to provide reliable electric supplies in the Greater Lowell Region during periods of high electrical demand. This natural gas fired turbine plant is needed to meet a shortage of peak hour supplies in the 2008-2010 time frame projected by the operator of the region's power grid (New England ISO). The industrially zoned site is located at the southernmost portion of the Baker Commodities property, north of Town Farm Lane and west of the railroad tracks. The fourteen acre site is adjacent to an auto body repair yard and the Billerica Wastewater Treatment Plant. Our team is comprised of experienced operators and developers of power plants including two similarly sized plants in Blackstone and Bellingham Massachusetts, and two plants under construction in Odessa and Wharton Texas. Town officials and members of the local press had the opportunity to visit the Bellingham facility prior to our commencing any permitting of the Billerica project. Our development website, www.dgcleanpower.com/Billerica.htm, provides background on the project team and all project filings for public review and we would encourage you to visit the site and email us with your questions and comments. We plan to file our first major plan with the state Energy Facility Siting Board in mid-February and will post this document to our site. This document will include visual depictions of the plant, projected noise levels, plans for water consumption, traffic, construction, safety and air quality compliance. What is a Peaking Plant? The Peaking Plant is projected to operate not more than 1,500 hours per year typically during daytime hours in either the winter cold snap or summer heat wave periods. These turbines will have enforceable limits on the hours of operation. The New England ISO has identified an urgent need for these types of peaking facilities in the years ahead to meet our growing demand for electricity (particularly dramatic increases in air conditioning load) and to stabilize the grid during transmission line outages. What is the Approval Process? Massachusetts has very strict environmental standards for power plants. Before we commence building the plant we will be required to receive air quality and noise control permits from the Mass Department of Environmental Protection, an Environmental Impact Report certificate from the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and a certificate from state Energy Facility Siting Board. In addition, we will require permits from the Town of Billerica, the state fire marshal, the local conservation commission and planning boards and our safety plans will be reviewed by local police and fire departments. We will also review our plans with neighboring communities. During operation, the plant will be required to report on its compliance with permit limits at least quarterly, will be subject to inspections by multiple agencies, and will have continuous monitoring of air emissions compliance. Any significant change to plant operation will need to go back through the approval process. The Schedule State permitting will commence in mid-February with our application to the Energy Facility Siting Board.We will also file permit applications in March with the Mass DEP, and an Environmental Impact Report with the Secretary of Environmental Affairs. These submissions will trigger a public comment period for each permit and public hearings. Various Town permitting activities including the conservation commission and planning board should commence in the spring. The Project should begin construction in early 2008 with commercial operation within nine to twelve months of commencing construction. The Technology Multiple aero derivative combustion turbines (approximately 8) with electric generators, transformers, etc.All electric equipment will be PCB free. Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and catalytic oxidation air pollution control equipment. Exhaust stack height will be between 70 to 100 feet depending on air modeling results. Some Specific Concerns We have begun our noise assessment at various locations in Billerica and neighboring communities. We expect the results, which will be published in our EFSB filing next month, to be in compliance with strict Mass DEP guidelines as well as the local ordinance for all residences. Our project has a built-in noise reduction package. Viewsheds of the project will be available in the EFSB filing. Based on the site characteristics we expect minimal visibility from neighboring areas. Natural gas will be supplied by the existing gas transmission pipe running through our site. During winter cold snaps our gas supply may be interrupted. During these brief interruptions we will use ultra low sulfur diesel fuel as a backup fuel. Onsite storage will be approximately 500,000 gallons. Our oil storage plans must be approved by the Town of Billerica and the state fire marshal. The tank must be completely contained to protect against spillage. Electric transmission will be connected to the existing 115 kv National Grid transmission system located 0.2 miles from the site. Water supply to the plant will be from the existing discharge of the Town's Waste Water Treatment Plant prior to the wastewater plant's discharge to the Concord River. Backup water supply will be provided by interconnection to the Town's municipal water system. If water is supplied by the Town's municipal system, the water will generally only be taken during the time of midnight to 4 am. Onsite water storage will include two 500,000 gallon storage tanks. Most of the water we use will evaporate the remainder will be sent to the wastewater plant or removed by private carrier. Aqueous ammonia will be stored onsite to be used in air pollution control; this tank will also be completely contained. What Is The Benefit to the Area and the Town of Billerica? The project will provide the largest source of generation support to the Tewksbury substation which serves the electrical network in Greater Lowell - this type of support will be used during major transmission outages and to avoid potential brownouts. While electrical demand in Greater Lowell has increased significantly over the years, new electrical generation plant has not been built to keep up with this demand. The operation of the Billerica plant will displace the need for older plants with higher emission levels running at peak demand periods. Significant tax base increase without a requirement for additional services - very low traffic impact. Increased revenue for any water supplied to the Project. Increase in approximately two hundred construction jobs and related services. What Is The Impact on Air Quality? Natural gas is the cleanest burning fuel available for combustion turbine generators. Ultra low-sulfur diesel oil has the lowest sulfur content and particulate emissions of any commercially available petroleum fuel oil. The Project will use combustion and post-combustion controls to limit air quality impacts in accordance with applicable air permits. Through air quality dispersion modeling, it will be demonstrated that even during worst-case weather conditions the Project will not cause or contribute to unhealthy air in the area. New projects recently approved by the Mass DEP have significantly lower emissions than existing power plants in the area. Will the Project be Safe? The facility will have state-of-the-art fire safety and site security systems, coordinated with local fire and police departments. There will be no natural gas storage; we will have tanks with secondary containment for diesel fuel and ammonia (used for air pollution control). What if I have questions? Please email us directly at BillericaPower@dgcleanpower.com with any questions
128.222.37.20
I wanted to let you know that DG Clean Power has updated their website. The website now includes what the site will look like as well as a site plan (and you can see how close to the river it will be). 
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