[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 58 (Friday, March 26, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14710-14713]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-7487]
[[Page 14710]]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed McIntosh Unit 4 Pressurized Circulating Fluidized Bed
Demonstration Project
AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces its intent to
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ) NEPA regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and the DOE
NEPA regulations (10 CFR Part 1021), to assess the potential
environmental and human health impacts of a proposed project to expand
the C. D. McIntosh, Jr. Power Plant in Lakeland, Florida. The proposed
project, selected under DOE's Clean Coal Technology Program, would
demonstrate both Pressurized Circulating Fluidized Bed (PCFB) and
Topped PCFB technologies. The proposed project would involve the
construction and operation of a nominal 238 MWe (megawatts of electric
power) combined-cycle power plant designed to burn a range of low- to
high-sulfur coals. The EIS will help DOE decide whether to provide 44%
of the funding for the currently estimated $440,000,000 proposed
project.
The purpose of this Notice is to inform the public about the
proposed action; present the schedule for the action; announce the
plans for a public scoping meeting; invite public participation in (and
explain) the scoping process that DOE will follow to comply with the
requirements of NEPA; and solicit public comments for consideration in
establishing the proposed scope and content of the EIS. The EIS will
evaluate the proposed project and reasonable alternatives.
DATES: To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposal
are addressed, DOE invites comments on the proposed scope and content
of the EIS from all interested parties. All comments must be received
by May 21, 1999, to ensure consideration. Late comments will be
considered to the extent practicable. In addition to receiving comments
in writing and by telephone, DOE will conduct a public scoping meeting
in which agencies, organizations, and the general public are invited to
present oral comments or suggestions with regard to the range of
actions, alternatives, and impacts to be considered in the EIS. The
scoping meeting will be held in the City of Lakeland's City Commission
Chambers, 228 South Massachusetts Avenue, Lakeland, Florida at 7 p.m.
on April 13, 1999. On the day of the meeting, from 1 p.m. until 7 p.m.
preceding the meeting, DOE will host an informational session for
interested parties in a conference room adjoining the City Commission
Chambers. Displays and other forms of information about the proposed
action and its location will be available, and DOE personnel will be
available to answer questions. The public is invited to this informal
session to learn more about the proposed action.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and requests to participate in the public
scoping process should be addressed to:
Mr. Joseph Martin, Document Manager, Federal Energy Technology Center,
U.S. Department of Energy, 3610 Collins Ferry Road, Morgantown, WV
26507-0880
Individuals who would like to provide comments and/or otherwise
participate in the public scoping process should contact Mr. Martin
directly at telephone 304-285-4447; toll free number 1-800-432-8330
(ext. 4447); fax 304-285-4469; or e-mail [email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To obtain additional information about
this project or to receive a copy of the draft EIS for review when it
is issued, contact Mr. Joseph Martin at the address provided above. For
general information on the DOE NEPA process, please contact:
Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance
(EH-42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW,
Washington, DC 20585-0119, 202-586-4600 or leave a message at 1-800-
472-2756
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background and Need for Agency Action
Under Public Law 102-154, the U.S. Congress authorized and funded
DOE to conduct cost-shared Clean Coal Technology Program projects for
the design, construction, and operation of facilities that
significantly advance the efficiency and environmental performance of
coal-using technologies and apply to either new or existing facilities.
DOE's purpose for this proposed action, which is known as the McIntosh
Unit 4 PCFB Demonstration Project, is to establish through successful
technology demonstration, the commercial viability of a Topped PCFB
combustion combined-cycle plant. Funding for this action would be made
available through the novation (substitution of a new obligation for an
old one) of two previous Clean Coal Technology Program awards: (1)
Cooperative Agreement DE-FC21-91MC27364, DMEC-1 Limited Partnership's
PCFB Demonstration Project; and (2) Cooperative Agreement DE-FC21-
94MC31261, Four Rivers Energy Modernization Project. The decision to
combine the two projects into one at a new location was made because of
diminished prospects for proceeding at their original sites due to
uncertainties regarding regional power requirements. The City of
Lakeland, however, is in an area experiencing substantial growth in
demand for electricity. In addition, combining the two projects would
save taxpayers more than $30,000,000 in Federal cost sharing (compared
to building two projects separately) without sacrificing the original
objectives.
Over the next several decades, increases in demand for electric
power and replacement of a significant amount of electric power
generating capacity that is approaching the end of its design service
life are expected to require the construction of new generating
stations. The most abundant domestic fuel, coal, continues to represent
an attractive energy source for new generating capacity. The proposed
McIntosh Unit 4 PCFB Demonstration Project would fulfill an established
DOE programmatic need to demonstrate advanced technology that may
improve the environmental performance and efficiency of coal-fired
power generation facilities.
Since the early 1970s, DOE and its predecessor agencies have
pursued research and development programs that include long-term, high-
risk activities through the proof-of-concept stage in developing
innovative concepts for a wide variety of coal technologies. However,
the availability of a technology at the proof-of-concept stage is not
sufficient to ensure its continued development and subsequent
commercialization. Before any technology can be considered seriously
for commercialization, it must be demonstrated. The financial risk
associated with technology demonstration generally is too high for the
private sector to assume without strong incentives. Congress
established the Clean Coal Technology Program to accelerate the
development of innovative technologies to meet the nation's near-term
energy and environmental goals, to reduce technological risk to the
business community to an acceptable level, and to provide incentives
for the private
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sector to pursue innovative research and development directed at
providing solutions to long-range energy supply problems.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is for DOE to provide, through a cooperative
agreement with the City of Lakeland, Florida, cost-shared financial
assistance for the design, construction, and operation of the proposed
McIntosh Unit 4 PCFB Demonstration Project, described below. The
proposed project would last 121 months after novation of prior
agreements (see Background and Need for Agency Action) and would cost a
total of approximately $440,000,000; DOE's share would be approximately
$195,000,000 (44%).
The proposed project would be constructed at the existing C.D.
McIntosh, Jr. Power Plant, which is located in the City of Lakeland,
Florida along the northeastern shore of Lake Parker. The current
McIntosh Plant is an industrial site encompassing about 530 acres. The
Plant includes three fossil-fuel-fired steam electric units, two
diesel-powered peaking units, and one simple-cycle gas turbine peaking
unit; water treatment facilities; fuel handling facilities (oil storage
and coal handling and storage); air pollution control facilities;
wastewater treatment facilities; by-product treatment and storage
facilities; and an ash disposal area. Further, the City of Lakeland is
adding to the McIntosh Plant a simple-cycle power generation unit that
will use a Siemans Westinghouse 501G turbine to generate a nominal 250
MWe. In addition to the McIntosh Plant, the City of Lakeland owns and
operates the Larsen Power Plant, which also is located on Lake Parker
approximately 2 miles south of the McIntosh facility. The Larsen Plant
provides 243 megawatts of electric power capacity and is fueled by oil
and natural gas.
The Lake Parker area has been extensively mined for phosphate;
several ponds and wetlands have formed in depressions left from these
past mining activities. Mud Lake, a small wetland, is located to the
north and adjacent to the fence line of the McIntosh Plant, but outside
the proposed footprint of the PCFB Demonstration. A significant natural
resource, the Class I Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, is
located approximately 55-60 miles northwest of Lakeland. The McIntosh
Plant site lies above the 100-year statistical flood frequency
elevation.
PCFB technology is a combined-cycle power generation system that is
based on the pressurized combustion of solid fuel to generate steam,
combined with the expansion of hot pressurized flue gas through a gas
turbine. The technology can be subdivided into the basic PCFB cycle
(first generation or ``Non-Topped'') and Topped PCFB cycle (second
generation or ``Advanced'').
In the basic PCFB cycle, hot pressurized flue gas is expanded
through a gas turbine at a temperature of less than 1400 deg.F. Tubes
contained in the PCFB generate, superheat, and reheat steam for use
with the most advanced steam turbines. Hot, pressurized combustion gas
leaving the PCFB can drive a gas turbine for additional power
generation. Combustion and fluidizing air is supplied from the
compressor section of the gas turbine to the PCFB combustor located
inside a pressure vessel. Dried coal and sorbent (usually limestone)
are fed to the combustor using a conventional pneumatic transport
system employing lock hoppers. The limestone sorbent captures sulfur in
situ as sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides are controlled by
temperature and pressure. Particulate matter is removed from the flue
gas exiting the combustor using cyclones and barrier filters located
between the PCFB and the gas turbine. The hot gas cleaned by the filter
system expands through the gas turbine, exhausts to a heat recovery
unit, and vents to a stack. The heat recovered from both the combustor
and the heat recovery unit is used to raise, superheat and reheat steam
for use in the steam turbine. Approximately 25% of the total power
produced is generated in the gas turbine, and the balance is generated
in the steam turbine.
The topped PCFB technology integrates a carbonizer island and gas
turbine topping combustor into the PCFB cycle. The carbonizer is an
air-blown jetting, fluidized bed operating at 1600 deg.F to 1800 deg.F.
Dried coal and sorbent are fed to the carbonizer using a conventional
pneumatic transport system employing lock hoppers. The coal is
devolatilized and partially gasified to produce a low-BTU synthesis gas
and a solid residue (called char) that is removed from the carbonizer
and transferred to the PCFB for combustion. The limestone sorbent
captures sulfur as calcium sulfide and also acts as a stabilizer to
prevent bed agglomeration and to aid in partial gasification. The
particulate matter (char plus reacted and unreacted sorbent) in the
synthesis gas is removed using a cyclone and hot gas particulate filter
system similar to that used for the PCFB. This collected material,
together with the main char flow from the carbonizer, is transferred to
the PCFB to complete combustion and sulfur removal. The hot clean
synthesis gas is burned in the topping combustor to raise the turbine
inlet temperature to the firing temperature of the gas turbine.
The planned project would involve two sequential demonstrations as
follows:
(1) The first demonstration would be a PCFB cycle that would come
on-line in July 2002 and would provide approximately 145 MWe of coal-
fired generating capacity. The system would have a gas turbine inlet
temperature under 1400 deg.F.
(2) The second demonstration, which would be constructed and
brought on-line approximately two years later, would convert the PCFB
system to a Topped PCFB system by adding a carbonizer island that
includes a topping combustor. The addition of the carbonizer system
would generate a coal-derived, low-BTU synthesis gas that would be
burned in the topping combustor to raise the turbine inlet temperature
to more than 1900 deg.F. In order to provide the total power that the
City of Lakeland needs from the project, an auxiliary coal-fired heat
recovery steam generator would provide the necessary steam superheating
and feedwater heating. The net effect would be an additional 93 MWe of
power output.
Under the proposed action, the McIntosh Unit 4 would be designed to
burn a wide range of coals including high ash-high sulfur coals that
are expected to become available in the future at substantially lower
prices than mid-to-low-sulfur bituminous coals. Further, limestone for
the circulating fluidized bed would be obtained from a number of nearby
Florida limestone quarries; ash produced during the processing would be
disposed of in an existing landfill or marketed to others after such
markets are identified.
The majority of the project's water makeup requirements would be
met by using secondary treated sewage effluent in the cooling tower.
Service water, which is potable water from the public water utility,
would be used only for boiler water makeup feed to the demineralizer
system. Wastewater from the PCFB Demonstration unit would be treated on
site, by neutralization and removal of heavy metals, before being
returned to the Glendale wastewater treatment facility, which is owned
by the City of Lakeland, for discharge.
To ensure that the PCFB technology meets applicable emissions
limits, gaseous emissions from the plant would be controlled, as
required, using state-of-the-art technology. For example, the amount of
high sulfur coal would be
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reduced or sulfur dioxide would be removed using limestone scrubbers;
the oxides of nitrogen would be controlled by managing combustion
temperature and pressure, or by using selective non-catalytic reduction
technology; and particulate matter would be removed by barrier filters
or electrostatic precipitators.
Alternatives
Section 102(2)(C) of NEPA requires that agencies discuss the
reasonable alternatives to the proposed action in an EIS. The purpose
for agency action determines the range of reasonable alternatives.
Congress established the Clean Coal Technology Program with a specific
purpose: to demonstrate the commercial viability of technologies that
use coal in more environmentally benign ways than conventional coal
technologies. Congress also directed DOE to pursue the goals of the
legislation by means of partial funding (cost sharing) of projects
owned and controlled by non-Federal government sponsors. This statutory
requirement places DOE in a much more limited role than if the Federal
Government were the owner and operator of the project. In the latter
situation, for example, DOE would be responsible for a comprehensive
review of reasonable alternatives. However, in dealing with an
applicant, the scope of alternatives is necessarily more restricted. It
is appropriate in such cases for DOE to give substantial weight to the
applicant's needs in establishing a project's reasonable alternatives.
An overall strategy for compliance with NEPA was developed for the
Clean Coal Technology Program that includes consideration of both
programmatic and project-specific environmental impacts during and
after the process of selecting a project. As part of the NEPA strategy,
the EIS for the proposed McIntosh Unit 4 demonstration project will
tier off the final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS)
that was issued by DOE in November 1989 (DOE/EIS-0146). Two
alternatives were evaluated in the PEIS: (1) the no-action alternative,
which assumed that the Clean Coal Technology Program was not continued
and that conventional coal-fired technologies with flue gas
desulfurization and nitrogen oxide controls, to meet New Source
Performance Standards, would continue to be used; and (2) the proposed
action, which assumed that the clean coal projects would be selected
and funded, and that successfully demonstrated technologies would
undergo widespread commercialization by the year 2010.
The range of reasonable alternatives to be considered in the EIS
for the proposed McIntosh Unit 4 demonstration project is narrowed in
accordance with the overall NEPA strategy. The EIS will include an
analysis of the no-action alternative as a reasonable alternative to
the proposed action of providing cost-shared funding support for the
proposed project. DOE will consider other reasonable alternatives that
may be suggested during the public scoping period.
Under the no-action alternative, DOE would not provide partial
funding for the design, construction, and operation of the project. In
the absence of DOE funding, the McIntosh Unit 4 facility probably would
not be constructed, although the City of Lakeland could construct the
proposed project without DOE cost-shared funding. If the proposed
McIntosh Unit 4 is not built, other alternative sources for electric
power would be necessary for the City of Lakeland to meet future
demands of its customers. Such alternatives could include purchasing
power from other sources, adding generation capacity that does not rely
on PCFB technology (e.g., natural gas), or using some other current
technology. Lakeland could also consider repowering old existing units
at the McIntosh site. In the EIS, DOE will consider these variations of
the no-action alternative.
Because of DOE's limited role of providing cost-shared funding for
the proposed McIntosh Unit 4 PCFB project, and because of advantages
associated with the proposed location, DOE does not plan to evaluate
alternative sites for the proposed project. An existing plant site is
preferred because the costs associated with a ``greenfield site'' in an
undisturbed area would be much higher and the environmental impacts
likely would be greater than at an existing facility.
Project activities would include engineering and design,
permitting, fabrication and construction, testing, and demonstration of
PCFB technology and Topped PCFB technology. The EIS will assume that
the proposed facility would continue its commercial operation after the
demonstration of Topped PCFB technology is completed. DOE plans to
complete the EIS and issue a Record of Decision within 15 months of
this Notice, assuming timely delivery of information from the City of
Lakeland necessary for development of the EIS.
Preliminary Identification of Environmental Issues
The following issues have been tentatively identified for analysis
in the EIS. This list, which is based on analyses of similar projects,
is not intended to be all-inclusive nor a predetermined set of
potential impacts, but is presented to facilitate public comment on the
scope of the EIS. Additions to or deletions from this list may occur as
a result of the scoping process. The issues include:
(1) Atmospheric resources: potential air quality impacts resulting
from air emissions during current and future operations of the McIntosh
Plant (e.g., effects of ground-level concentrations of criteria
pollutants and trace metals on surrounding residential areas and
sensitive areas (such as the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge,
(a Class I refuge located approximately 55-60 miles northwest of
Lakeland));
(2) Water resources: potential effects on surface water and
groundwater resources consumed and discharged, including any impacts on
wetlands;
(3) Infrastructure and land use: potential effects resulting from
the transport of additional coal and limestone required for the
proposed project;
(4) Solid waste: pollution prevention and waste management
practices, including impacts caused by generation, treatment,
transport, storage, and disposal of ash;
(5) Construction: impacts associated with noise, traffic patterns,
and construction-related emissions;
(6) Changes in the sources of coal for the overall plant;
(7) Environmental Justice issues with respect to the surrounding
community;
(8) Cumulative effects that result from the incremental impacts of
the proposed action when added to other past, present, and reasonably
foreseeable future actions.
Public Scoping Process
To ensure that all issues related to this proposal are addressed,
DOE will conduct an open process to define the scope of the EIS. The
public scoping period will run until May 21, 1999. Interested agencies,
organizations, and the general public are encouraged to submit comments
or suggestions concerning the content of the EIS, issues and impacts to
be addressed in the EIS, and the alternatives that should be analyzed.
Scoping comments should clearly describe specific issues or topics that
the EIS should address in order to assist DOE in identifying
significant issues.
Written, e-mailed, faxed, or telephoned comments should be
communicated by May 21, 1999 (see ADDRESSES). A public scoping meeting
to be conducted by DOE will be held in the City of Lakeland City
Commission
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Chambers on April 13, 1999, at 7 p.m. The address of the City
Commission Chambers is: 228 South Massachusetts Avenue, Lakeland,
Florida. In addition, DOE will hold an informational session at the
same location from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on April 13. Displays and other
materials and DOE personnel will be available to provide information
about the proposed action.
DOE requests that anyone who wishes to speak at this public scoping
meeting contact Mr. Joseph Martin, either by phone, fax, computer, or
in writing (see ADDRESSES in this Notice). Individuals who do not make
advance arrangements to speak may register at the meeting and will be
given the opportunity to speak after all previously scheduled speakers
have made their presentations. Speakers who wish to make presentations
longer than five minutes should indicate the length of time desired in
their request. Depending on the number of speakers, it may be necessary
to limit speakers to five minute presentations initially, with the
opportunity for additional presentations as time permits. Speakers can
also provide additional written information to supplement their
presentations. Oral and written comments will be given equal
consideration.
DOE will begin the meeting with an overview of the proposed
McIntosh Unit 4 demonstration project. A presiding officer will be
designated by DOE to chair the meeting. The meeting will not be
conducted as an evidentiary hearing, and speakers will not be cross-
examined.
However, speakers may be asked to clarify their statements to
ensure that DOE fully understands the comments or suggestions. The
presiding officer will establish the order of speakers and provide any
additional procedures necessary to conduct the meeting.
Issued in Washington, DC, this 22nd day of March, 1999.
Peter N. Brush,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Environment, Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 99-7487 Filed 3-25-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P