Legalectric

Mandy Nesheim wrote a great letter in the Timberjay:

Friday, April 06, 2007      Volume 18, Issue 14

Dill should focus on his own district, stop distorting record on Mesaba Energy

Letter to the editor from Amanda Nesheim, Bigfork, Minn.

The residents of District 6A might be interested to learn that their Representative, David Dill is involving himself in District 3A�s business.

There is an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) coal burning power plant being proposed for Taconite, Minn. (Dist. 3A) that is called the Mesaba Energy Project (MEP). Mr. Dill did not mention by name the MEP in his statements, but there are no other coal burning power plants being proposed for this region.

Mr. Dill has stated erroneously that new base load electricity is needed for a proposed steel plant, (Minnesota Steel Industries, MSI), which is proposed for Nashwauk, Minn. (Dist. 3A). Representatives of MSI have repeatedly confirmed that their energy needs have been accounted for, which makes sense considering MSI proposes to be operational years before the proposed MEP goes online.

Mr. Dill has also falsely stated (for the record) a 6.3 cents/kWh, which is the cost per kWh represented by the lobbyists of the MEP. There is a range of 9.604 – 13.76 cents/kWh that was established by evidence produced in the current Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) proceedings.

Most recently Mr. Dill proposed $475,000 for a study of the feasibility of carbon sequestration in Minnesota in the House Omnibus bill. This study can only refer to the MEP as there are no other IGCC projects being proposed for Minnesota.

Mr. Dill’s interference in Dist. 3A’s business suggests that he is working for the lobbyists of the MEP, (Excelsior Energy), and not his constituents. The people of Dist. 3A have elected Tom Anzelc to represent them, not Mr. Dill. His intervention is inappropriate and unwelcome.

Residents of Dist. 6A need to contact their representative and remind him that he works for you, not the 18 paid lobbyists of Excelsior Energy.

Here’s the GRE HQ, stolen from GRE’s site. It’s the former home of Minnesota’s first nuclear plant, the little bitty one that my father helped design the conventional side, the steam stuff, not the nuclear, though I do remember playing with a geiger counter as a kid.

Today it’s time for the NM-SPG meeting up in Elk River, transmission planning for the area. And so hot off the press, here’s the abbreviated report with presentations below:

TRANSMISSION PLANNING

The first issue was one that I care about — the 2007 Transmission Plan (Minn. Stat. 216B.2425). There’s a problem because “nobody’s showing up” and so their thought is to eliminate the zonal meetings. Ummmmm, no… They will hold them this next round, but then what?
Here’s the Minnesota Transmission Owners site.

Here’s the CapX 2020 site.

CAPX 2020 – Jared GRE

Phase I projects and Brookings to Twin Cities
Slides they’ve been giving to County and Township routes
Projected Population Growth 1.3 million by 2050
Job growth 500,00 new jobs
Projected Electric Demand growth 4,500=
CapX Group 1 –
Four lines work together to ensure reliability for the region
Lines meet most urgent need
Lines will serve as out let for whatever generation resources are built
CapX Brookings
250 miles of 345kV, “access to new generation

CoN – Based on SW MN-Twin Cities EHV completed Nov 2005
Additional studies – Generation Alternative for load serving
MISO queue additions, Lake Marion xfmr overload – overloaded before they put it in
Combined CapX Groupe I loss analysis
Load serving, Marshall, Franklin, Lake Marion, New Ethanol loads
Underlying system study to see impact on lower levels

Cost allocation – MISO RCEB Analysis
BISO Baseline Reliability Study – MTEP
CapX Notice Plan – in 30 days or so.
EOM – PUC meeting on Exemptions
Brookings project – Randy Fordice 763-241-2463 rfordice@grenergy.com

Reliability project or generation project – MTEP process, studying now, some results on Fargo project
Load use more like 2004 load and not 2016
MTEP 06 – will be in MTEP 07 if determined to be reliability projects

Fargo CapX line
Corrects loss of bulk lines – Center-Jamestown-Maple River
Dorsey Forbes
Local load serving benefits – Alexandria, St. Cloud
Loss Reduction of 100MW real-time
Fargo need – not until 2018
Alexandria – big problem is loss of Grant County-Elbow Lake Lind
St Cloud – this is the primary local problem – loss of Benton County – Granite City 115kV, St. Regis load drop, cannot Reconfigure GraniteCity without new source

So, seems to me that CapX is doing a good job of proving it’s NOT needed.

Here are a few of the juicier presentations:

Big Stone II Transmission Update – Phase 6

CapX 2020 Fargo – Metro Xmsn Line

CapX 2020 Brookings – SE Metro Xmsn Line

And here’s a presentation using RES as justification for more unnecessary transmission:

RES & Transmission

Click HERE for RES Language

Now doesn’t that make you wonder just what they were thinking when they passed an RES with transmission language in there???

NRG forced to unveil secret emissions information

By Rachel Swick
Cape Gazette staff

NRG Energy’s attempt to keep emissions data secret failed this week when the Court of Chancery declined to issue a restraining order to prevent release of the information.

NRG, which proposes to build a new $1.5 million plant near Millsboro to provide the state with new power, submitted a petition to keep trade secrets out of the public light. After a four-hour hearing Tuesday, March 27, in Georgetown, Chancellor William “Bill” Chandler III refused to grant the restraining order.

The information on emissions data was released this week, but energy watchdogs are still skeptical, saying more information is needed.

The state’s Public Service Commission released four binders of information on NRG’s proposed coal gasification plant Wednesday, March 28. The information did not include how much energy the plant would use, even though it noted the plant would produce 201 pounds of carbon dioxide for every million pounds of energy used.

John Austin, a member of Citizens for Clean Power and a former scientist for the Environmental Protection Agency, said he supports the Bluewater Wind proposal to build a wind farm in the Atlantic Ocean.

Carbon dioxide emissions are linked to global warming, but even knowing how much will be released by the new plant does not tell the public how much energy the plant will consume, which is vital information, said Austin.

“Even if sequestration at 65 percent were possible, the carbon dioxide emissions of a 220 megawatt unit would go uncontrolled,” said Austin. “[Coal gasification] units have not turned out to be the better alternative they have been touted to be. [Coal gasifiNRG
Continued from page 1
cation] is just a way to mine and burn coal faster. I conclude that the NRG bid is not in conformance with the Coastal Zone Act and should be removed from further consideration.”

Austin’s concerns were echoed by Green Delaware’s Alan Muller, who said NRG continues to try and withhold information the public needs to know before making an informed decision about the future of power in Delaware. Muller said the company continually holds back emissions information and has not cleaned up the existing plant. NRG is also going to court over the multi-pollutant emissions regulations passed by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) last year, seeking more time to comply with the regulations.

“We’re still nowhere near where we need to be, and the only solution to this is to unwrap the entire bid,” said Muller.

Proposals for future

Faced with a steep rise in electric bills in 2005, state officials ordered Delmarva Power, in conjunction with the Public Service Commission, to search for new power suppliers. A request for proposals was issued and three proposals are now under consideration, including NRG’s coal gasification plant, Bluewater Wind’s offshore wind farm, and Conectiv’s natural gas plant. The request for proposals called for new power that would generate 400 megawatts of electricity– enough to power more than 300,000 homes.

When the public first requested copies of the three proposals, all three companies, Conectiv, Bluewater Wind and NRG, released heavily redacted copies. Later, both Conectiv and Bluewater released more in-depth information, but NRG refused, stating the requested information contained trade secrets. Conectiv plans to build a 200-megawatt natural gas plant in Wilmington, while Bluewater Wind proposes a 600-megawatt wind farm in the Atlantic Ocean. Bluewater later filed a petition with Chancery Court to block the release of information regarding its equipment supplier, Vestas Offshore. Even though Bluewater had earlier signed a nondisclosure agreement with Vestas, without informing the Public Service Commission, Chancery Court granted Bluewater’s petition to prevent disclosure.

NRG officials said they are concerned that the release of the entire proposal will only lead to a loss of trade secrets to competing companies.

Caroline Angoorly, senior vice president for NRG’s northeast division, said the court filing was in response to ongoing requests for information, which she says are trade secrets.

“The more than 1,100-page bid NRG submitted to the PSC is the culmination of two years of focused effort, as well as significant funding to support development of NRG’s IGCC project at Indian River,” said Angoorly. “We have disclosed the vast majority of information contained within our bid and seek only to protect vital and proprietary details that, if released, could potentially harm NRG’s ability to most effectively structure and bring its proposed generation projects to fruition – both in Delaware and elsewhere.”

Chandler disagreed, stating that the Public Service Commission (PSC) had done its job and given NRG as much room as possible to protect trade secrets.

“It’s obvious to me that the commission made its decision in an informed and deliberate matter,” said Chandler. He said NRG had no right to challenge the PSC’s fairness in the power-bid process, because the final decision on future power has yet to be made.

NRG officials said they would continue to pursue financing for a coal gasification plant in Delaware.

“NRG continues to stand behind our proposal and we remain firm in our belief that [coal gasification] is the answer to providing energy reliably and in an environmentally responsible manner,” said Lori Neuman, spokeswoman for NRG.

Contact Rachel Swick at: rswick@capegazette.com

FYI, Salem I shut down yesterday due to low water levels. Reassuring, huh, makes me glad to be back here with a full frontal of Prairie Island.

What to do… time off and still the blog calleth!

Catching up from last week — It was a hot spring day in Delaware, the mosquitos out in full force, temp in the 70’s, hard to believe for late March, and a good day for roaming around. There’s this blacksmith shop on the main drag in Delaware City, 123 Clinton St., where years ago the NIRS “nuclear waste cask” was stored.  It’s obviously run by somebody conscious, eh, and it’s worth a look see. The shop is owned by blacksmith Kerry Rhoades:

Here’s his site: Forged Creations where you can see that this is fine art in heavy metal. He’s got a entry way filled with anvils, some 300 years old, and he’s at the ready to give an enthusiastic tour. The were working on a door with iron supports and hinges, and I think a frame. Here’s a huge press that makes an impression:

The place is filled with amazing projects, ranging from functional tools to decorative fru-fru for the yard, to big, big knives…

Time to trot out this photo again — NRG has to release the “emissions” info but there’s no requirement, YET, to release any cost/pricing info.  We’ve GOT this info for Mesaba, so NRG’s should be assumed to be about the same until proven otherwise!  Produce, NRG!

“We’re still nowhere near where we need to be, and the only solution to this is to unwrap the entire bid,” said Alan Muller, who directs the environmental group Green Delaware.

Catching up here, this came out while in transit:

Key details concerning NRG plant still withheld
Report lacks information needed to gauge emissions
By JEFF MONTGOMERY, The News Journal
Posted Thursday, March 29, 2007

Key details on pollution emissions, costs and environmental risks from a proposed clean coal plant remained withheld Wednesday, a day after a court cleared the way for more information to be made public.

The Public Service Commission released four binders containing hundreds of pages of bid documents from three companies vying to build a new power plant.

But those documents shined little new light on the effects of the proposed plants.

For example, NRG Energy’s proposed 600-megawatt plant would produce 201 pounds of carbon dioxide for every million pounds of energy used, according to the documents. But withheld was information on how much energy the plant would use.

The information means little without access to NRG’s estimate of energy consumption, said John Austin, a retired Environmental Protection Agency scientist who supports a different plan to build windmills.

Carbon dioxide pollution, which is linked to rising global temperatures, has become one of several controversial issues in debate over the process.

NRG’s plan calls for pumping 65 percent of carbon dioxide emissions deep underground. But details about that plan were also withheld.

“We’re still nowhere near where we need to be, and the only solution to this is to unwrap the entire bid,” said Alan Muller, who directs the environmental group Green Delaware.

The fragmented details come a day after NRG lost a Chancery Court case in which it sought a temporary restraining order prohibiting the Public Service Commission from releasing details. The News Journal and others had requested bid information be released because the process for choosing a new plant includes public input and evaluates the proposals based on cost and environmental impact.

NRG is proposing a more-than $1.5 billion plant near Millsboro that would burn natural gas-like fuel made from processed coal. The company is competing with Bluewater Wind LLC’s offer to build a 200-turbine offshore wind farm along the state’s Atlantic Coast and Conectiv Energy’s proposal for a 177-megawatt gas-fired turbine at its complex in east Wilmington.

Conectiv has laid open its entire proposal. Bluewater made some of its plan available to the public, holding back information on price and financing.

The Public Service Commission is scheduled to make a tentative recommendation on the winning bidder in May.

Under a process ordered by lawmakers last year, the winning company would enter into a long-term contract to supply Delmarva Power, the state’s largest electricity provider. The bill, aimed at stabilizing energy rates and supplies, passed after Delmarva raised rates 59 percent for residential customers last year.

Contact Jeff Montgomery at 678-4277 or jmontgomery@delawareonline.com

To comment on this article (and please do!) click on headline above to go to site, scroll down, and add your comment!