This week Calpine announced it had purchased the development rights for the Pittsburg District Energy Facility, a 500 megawatt (MW) natural gas-fired power plant that has almost completed the CEC certification process. I scanned the March 10, 1999 California Energy Commission Staff Assessment and found the following quotes:

"The second transmission line will deliver electricity to the state�s transmission grid via a new 2 mile double circuit 115 kV overhead/underground electric transmission line connecting the PDEF switchyard to Pacific Gas & Electric�s (PG&E) existing substation at the Pittsburg Power Plant"

"The applicant proposes to build a new 10-in. diameter fuel gas pipeline from the PDEF to PG&E�s existing SP-5, 30-in. diameter gas line 3.6 miles southeast of the plant site."

"Estimation of NOx, CO, and VOC emissions during start-up and shutdown conditions vary widely. However, as far as we know, the source tests conducted in the Crockett cogeneration plant provide the only real world measurements in a combined cycle power plant with the added effect of an SCR and an oxidizing catalyst (Crockett 1996)(Crockett 1997). The combined effect is important because the SCR and the oxidizing catalyst may be effective in limiting total start-up and shutdown emissions. Traditionally air agencies do not regulate emissions during start-ups and shutdowns, with the BAAQMD being the exception, and for this reason there is a lack of actual source data documenting such emissions. For the same reason manufacturers and operators of power plants have not designed schemes to reduce emissions during these transient conditions.

Our understanding is that the applicant is uneasy accepting more restrictive start-up and shutdown emission limits because of a lack of experience on limitations of this nature. At the same time, however, we would like to limit emissions to the extent that is practical and reasonable. The thrust of this proposal is the protection of ambient air quality. Even though the applicant�s and our analyses show that there will not be a violation of the ambient air quality standards, the level of the incremental impacts are not trivial. We believe that the best way to proceed is to accept the permit limits proposed by the BAAQMD but at the same time allow for a revision of these limitations after one year of operation. After one year of operation, the BAAQMD, the applicant, and Energy Commission staff will have actual operational data to establish, with a reasonable margin of safety, more realistic emission limits for start-up and shutdown conditions. These revised limits will be based on source test data and CEM data collected during start-up and shutdown conditions."

The Staff Assessment can be found at
http://www.energy.ca.gov/sitingcases/pittsburg/documents/199 9-03-10_STAFF_ASMENT.PDF