1 / 71

Regulatory Program

Regulatory Program. Authority Granted by Congress: Section 10 Rivers & Harbors Act of 1899 Process Leading to Decision: National Environmental Policy Act Purpose: Objective Review Public Involvement Informed Decision. Environmental Impact Statement.

dewei
Download Presentation

Regulatory Program

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Regulatory Program Authority Granted by Congress: Section 10 Rivers & Harbors Act of 1899 Process Leading to Decision: National Environmental Policy Act Purpose: Objective Review Public Involvement Informed Decision

  2. Environmental Impact Statement • Jan – June 2002: EIS Scoping • March 2002 hearings • July – November 2002: developed preliminary sites and screening criteria • November – March 2002: Screening list of preliminary alternatives

  3. Environmental Impact Statement • Detailed evaluation of sites undergoing further review • Data collection • Draft EIS released for public review & comment • Public Hearing • Final Environmental Impact Statement • Record of Decision - Issue or Deny permit

  4. Site Screening Process • EIS scoping Spring 2002 • Sites suggested through public comment • initial screening criteria in June 2002 scope • Start with a long list of offshore & terrestrial sites throughout NE • Using available information screen out/eliminate sites do not warrant detailed evaluation

  5. EIS scope “project purpose” Commercial scale renewable energy facility providing power to the New England grid

  6. Range of Alternatives • Practical & feasible in light of the underlying purpose & need for the proposal • Not require costly & time-consuming evaluation of conjectural alternatives

  7. Commercial scale • Applicant proposed 420 MW facility • Recent projects in ISO-NE area range 200-1500MW • Corps has looked at +/-20% as reasonable for previous projects • Example: strip mall not considered a reasonable alternative to a regional shopping mall

  8. Renewable energy • wind, • tidal, • solar, • biomass, • hydroelectric

  9. Renewable technologies • information previously developed by others • which renewable energy sources may be considered feasible at this scale

  10. Wind • Intermittment power source • Highly visible • Technological advances in past 20 years • Fastest growing energy source in U.S. • Generating capacity from 1kw-600mw • More than 20,000 commercial-sized wind turbines producing 2,000mw worldwide within last 10 years. • DOE standardized classification system of wind resource

  11. Tidal • Similar to hydropower concept (barrage, powerhouse, turbine) • Power typically produced during ebb tide • .4mw-240mw generating capacity • Typically tidal ranges > 10-15 feet • Highly variable power generation – tidal cycles • Average capacity 25-30% of maximum output capacity • 240mw – France – 8 meter tide range • Northern Maine only potential New England Location

  12. Wave • Technology is not yet commercially viable • Variety of wave capture technologies (surge, heaving, pitching, oscillating) • Least developed renewable energy technology • Generating capacity 1-30mw • Currently, only small (<5mw) projects in development

  13. Photovoltaic (P/V)/Solar • Solar energy storage – intermittent power • New England has lower direct insolation than other parts of the country • Average duty cycles: 1,500 hours/yr – N.E. • Flat rate systems 50w-200kw • More feasible for off-grid and consumer applications • High cost to produce ($0.38-0.80kwh) • Low efficiency

  14. Biomass • Biomass feedstocks used as fuel source • Direct combustion • Biomass gasification • Close-coupled gasification • Second largest renewable energy resource in U.S. (7,000 mw-installed) • Biomass integrated gasification (BIG) integrated into combined cycle gas turbines – not effective on commercial scale yet • Small scale demonstration projects 25kw-5mw • One BIG/GCGT in Sweden (6mw) • Results in generation of 100’s ton of annual air emissions (NOxSO2)

  15. Hydroelectric • Major hydro capacity is N. New England • Output can vary with seasonal flow • Annual utilization rates of 40-50% (1,000-7,000 hours) • Small hydropower (1-30mw) – 50% of the capacity • Large hydropower (>30mw) – remaining 50% • Utilize impoundments, dams, diversion facilities, canals, run-of-river • Environmental impacts resulting from impoundment

  16. Renewable Technologies Summary Solar not for large scale generation Wave & tidal are still developing, not clear that NE has suitable conditions Hydroelectric sites are in northern NE where there is no demand-existing facilities being decommissioned in some places Wind & Biomass– greatest potential for larger scale projects (Biomass combustion has air quality impacts)

  17. Screening Criteria

  18. Preliminary Screening Criteria Sufficient surplus electric transmission capacity to transport 200-1,500 MW to load centers throughout the ISO-NE transmission system

  19. Preliminary Screening Criteria Wind Power Classification of 4 or greater (Wind speeds >15.7 mph at 50 meters)

  20. Wind Resource at 65 m Created by TrueWind Solutions and AWS ScientificFunded by Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, Mass. Technology Collaborative, Northeast Utilities Systems

  21. Preliminary Screening Criteria • Available land or offshore watersheet area sufficient to accommodate a 200-1,500 MW wind energy project

  22. Equivalent Land / Water Area Ratio for Wind Energy Generation • Assuming Wind Power Class 4 or greater • Industry Accepted Project Planning Guidelines: • 1.2 X Ratio of Land to Water area for equivalent MW capacity • Land based: • Ridgeline = 1 mile per 10 MW • Open Space = 20 acres per 1 MW • Lower wind class requires more land area per MW

  23. Preliminary Screening Criteria • Engineering and design limitations: • Physical, geological and environmental site conditions • Offshore water depths <50 feet mean low water with significant wave heights of <18 feet • Practical construction and maintenance access of state-of-the-art (2.7 MW or greater) wind turbine generators • Practical construction and maintenance of land and submarine electric transmission line interconnections • Available technology - Use of Alternating Current (AC) transmission systems

  24. Preliminary Screening Criteria • Legal/Regulatory constraints • State or federal land or water use exclusions • Avoidance of state or federally protected environmental resource areas

  25. Alternative Sites

  26. Alternative Sites • Land-Based Alternatives • Massachusetts Military Reservation • Searsburg, VT • Princeton, MA • Skinner/Kibby townships, ME • Redington Pond/Black Nubble Mountain, ME • Naugatuck and Housatonic Rivers, CT (Brownfield) • Greenfield, MA (Landfill)

  27. Massachusetts Military Reservation / Otis Air Force Base

  28. Expansion at Searsburg VT. (Existing 6MW Facility)

  29. Expansion at Princeton MA. (Existing Facility)

  30. Skinner / Kibby Township Maine

  31. Redington Black Nubble Mt. Maine

  32. CT. DOT Site (Brownfield)

  33. City of Greenfield Landfill

  34. Alternative Sites • Offshore Alternatives • Nantucket Sound, MA • Nantucket Shoals, MA • Martha’s Vineyard, MA (south) • Block Island, RI • Cape Ann, MA • Vinalhaven Island, ME

  35. Nantucket Sound

  36. Nantucket Shoals

  37. South of Martha’s Vineyard

  38. Block Island

  39. Cape Ann

  40. Vinalhaven Island

  41. Applying Criteria

  42. Massachusetts Military Reservation

  43. Massachusetts Military Reservation, MA • Transmission Capacity Surplus • Available Land Area =Approximately 22,000 acres Wind Power Class = 3 Engineering or Regulatory Constraints • EPA Superfund National Priority Listed Site • Priority Habitats of Rare Species • Adjacent to Shawme –Crowell State Forest and Crane State Wildlife Management Area • Active Military Use with land use restrictions

  44. Existing Searsburg 6 MW Facility

  45. Searsburg, VT (expansion) Existing-Eleven 550 kW WTGs along .6 miles of ridgeline, encompassing 35 acres = 6 MW Facility • Transmission Capacity Surplus • Wind Power Class 4 Available Land Area • 30-40 MW of additional WTG installation available along adjacent ridgelines • would require private lands acquisition and use of Green Mountain National Forest lands

  46. Princeton MA. facility

  47. Princeton, MA (expansion) Existing facility - Eight 40 kW WTGs Princeton Municipal Light Department • Transmission Capacity Surplus Wind Power Class = 2-3 Available Land Area • Wachusett Mt. State Reservation • Minns Wildlife Sanctuary • Private Lands

  48. Skinner Kibby Township

More Related