It has recently been proposed to build a "Peaking" power plant in North Billerica, about 4-5 miles from our house, and I'm wondering if anyone has any experience or knowledge of these pro or con.
This is a "part time" plant that is supposed to be operated no more than 10-25% of the time to help deal with peak power demands that might otherwise overload the grid. I can't find the handout that was being sent by the proponents, but IIRC, its about a 250 Megawatt plant. Fuel is supposed to primarily be Natural Gas, with supplemental use of Low Sulfur Diesel if NG isn't available for some reason. Exhaust is supposed to go out 80' stacks, and be clean, etc. The site is industrial, fairly low desireability land near a rendering plant, an automotive junkyard, and our municipal sewer treatment plant. (One of the advantages the plant is supposed to offer is that it will use the output of the sewer plant for cooling, reducing the amount of effluent we will be discharging back to the Concord River, which should help our permit...) There aren't any real close residential abutters.
The proponents have made it sound like a reasonably good deal, a plant that will add a big chunk of income to our property tax base, but not demand much in the way of town services, allegedly low pollution, minimal impact on the environment, etc.
However there seems to be a significant opposition crowd that claims that we are being lied to, and that the plant will be a major polluter, cause serious environment and health consequences, etc.
Among other claims on a flyer they were passing out at a recent town event -
Property values being impacted.
Emissions from 6 80' stacks will permanently change landscape and environment.
Gas Turbine emissions including Nitrogen Oxides, Sulfur Dioxide, airborne particulates, and C02, w/ the backup diesel fuel being worse.
Will dump 150,000 tons of CO2 and 68 tons of particulates into the air each year.
Will evaporate 200,000 gallons of treated wastewater into the air daily (Seems to me like a good thing...)
Will be storing 500,000 gallons of diesel, and 50,000 gallons of hazardous aqueous amonia in above ground tanks, less than 750 feet from the river.
---------------
Some of these claims are clearly true, and may even have come from the proponents own materials, but most of it doesn't seem to me like a really big issue. However, the stuff about some of the pollution claims is a bit scary, as is the entire design of the flier - what I'm trying to get opinions on is whether this plant really does represent a major hazard or if this is just a case of the "NIMBY crowd" blowing smoke (pun intended)?
Gooserider
This is a "part time" plant that is supposed to be operated no more than 10-25% of the time to help deal with peak power demands that might otherwise overload the grid. I can't find the handout that was being sent by the proponents, but IIRC, its about a 250 Megawatt plant. Fuel is supposed to primarily be Natural Gas, with supplemental use of Low Sulfur Diesel if NG isn't available for some reason. Exhaust is supposed to go out 80' stacks, and be clean, etc. The site is industrial, fairly low desireability land near a rendering plant, an automotive junkyard, and our municipal sewer treatment plant. (One of the advantages the plant is supposed to offer is that it will use the output of the sewer plant for cooling, reducing the amount of effluent we will be discharging back to the Concord River, which should help our permit...) There aren't any real close residential abutters.
The proponents have made it sound like a reasonably good deal, a plant that will add a big chunk of income to our property tax base, but not demand much in the way of town services, allegedly low pollution, minimal impact on the environment, etc.
However there seems to be a significant opposition crowd that claims that we are being lied to, and that the plant will be a major polluter, cause serious environment and health consequences, etc.
Among other claims on a flyer they were passing out at a recent town event -
Property values being impacted.
Emissions from 6 80' stacks will permanently change landscape and environment.
Gas Turbine emissions including Nitrogen Oxides, Sulfur Dioxide, airborne particulates, and C02, w/ the backup diesel fuel being worse.
Will dump 150,000 tons of CO2 and 68 tons of particulates into the air each year.
Will evaporate 200,000 gallons of treated wastewater into the air daily (Seems to me like a good thing...)
Will be storing 500,000 gallons of diesel, and 50,000 gallons of hazardous aqueous amonia in above ground tanks, less than 750 feet from the river.
---------------
Some of these claims are clearly true, and may even have come from the proponents own materials, but most of it doesn't seem to me like a really big issue. However, the stuff about some of the pollution claims is a bit scary, as is the entire design of the flier - what I'm trying to get opinions on is whether this plant really does represent a major hazard or if this is just a case of the "NIMBY crowd" blowing smoke (pun intended)?
Gooserider
