2.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION
2.1 Applicability
This section provides a preliminary description of the Project as currently proposed. It is important to underscore that the description is being provided, in large part, to solicit agency and public comment, so that the Project as presented in the Application (to be filed later) reflects, to the extent practicable, community input. This section provides information on the site location and characteristics, Project appearance, and primary components. In addition, descriptions of Project water use, wastewater discharge, air-pollution control-systems, utility interconnections, solid and hazardous waste, and facility safety features are provided.
2.2
Project Site and Environmental Setting
2.2.1 The Site
The Project site is located at the existing Bayside Oil Terminal at North 12th Street and Kent Avenue, in Brooklyn, New York. The site consists of approximately 9 acres, bounded on the north by the Bushwick Inlet (and beyond the Inlet, a Consolidated Freightways trucking terminal), on the east by Kent Avenue, on the south by North 12th Street, and on the west by the East River. A major advantage of the site is that the necessary water supply (either treated wastewater effluent supply or municipal water), wastewater discharge, natural gas, backup fuel oil, and electric transmission facilities needed to support the Project are all at or near the site. See Figure 2-1. Access to the site is currently available through Kent Avenue. Major oversized components are proposed to be brought to the site by barge.
For over 100 years, the site has been operated as an
oil storage and distribution terminal. The
current uses of the site include oil storage, oil pipeline to tank transfer
operations, oil tank to truck transfer operations, truck parking, and related
fuel services. During winter
months, over 200 oil truck round trips are generated by the present land use.
During summer months this traffic declines to approximately 100 round
trips. In addition, up to 100
trucks are garaged and maintained at the site under a lease arrangement.
The Project represents a brownfield redevelopment opportunity. Historically and presently, the proposed site has been used for an oil distribution terminal, with existing oil pipeline infrastructure at the site. The site is subject to remediation under requirements imposed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). The site is not only part of a waterfront dominated by industrial, manufacturing, and infrastructure uses, but is in a portion of the waterfront that is as distant from primarily residential blocks of both Greenpoint and Williamsburg as the East River waterfront allows – approximately 1,000 feet in all directions.
Figure 2-1: Project Site and Potential Interconnecting Infrastructure
2.2.2 The
Greenpoint and Williamsburg Communities
The Project site is located in Brooklyn Community District One – the Greenpoint-Williamsburg neighborhoods. Virtually all land area within 1 mile of the site is within Community District One. This area of Brooklyn is urbanized and characterized, in general, by a mix of industrial and residential uses. It was a major shipping and shipbuilding center in the 19th century. The Civil War ironclad Monitor was built at a shipyard adjacent to the Bushwick Inlet. Through the early and middle 20th century, the district was characterized by a strongly industrial waterfront both along the East River and Newtown Creek. This working waterfront saw significant job losses in the 1970s. However, as noted in community planning documents, the neighborhood showed “resiliency in the face of major economic and population changes,” and continues to attract immigrants. Between 1990 and 2000, population grew by 2.8% amidst a constrained housing supply. Brooklyn’s population grew by 7.2% in the same period.
In the 2000 census, the Greenpoint-Williamsburg district population was 160,338. Population density in the overall district is 52 persons/acre, slightly less than the Brooklyn average of 55 persons/acre. Williamsburg’s population density is significantly greater than that of Greenpoint.
Zoning in the neighborhood reflects the manufacturing
uses that were historically predominant in the region as well as residential
uses that have long coexisted with industry.
Residential land use is predominant in sections of Greenpoint east of
Franklin and Dobbin streets. The
predominantly residential area is approximately 1,000 feet away from the Project
site. A portion of this residential
area is an historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
To the southeast of the Project site, also approximately 1,000 feet away,
is the Northside, a mixed use area with residences and manufacturing uses, which
has been recognized as a special mixed use district under the zoning code.
Community Board One’s recommended plans for Greenpoint
and Williamsburg (so-called “197a plans”) place priorities upon
increasing affordable low-rise housing stock, waterfront access for residents,
and environmental quality. The
Application will not only demonstrate consistency with City regulations and
performance standards but will also analyze Project development in light of
Borough and community planning documents including the Greenpoint and
Williamsburg 197-a plans.
2.2.3 Infrastructure
New York City’s water system is supplied by the Croton and Catskill/Delaware reservoir systems in Upstate New York. Water is delivered by aqueduct and water tunnel to serve all five boroughs, with only a portion of southeastern Queens relying on groundwater wells. The system is operated by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP), which is responsible for the protection of the reservoir watersheds. Through extensive ongoing water conservation efforts, each year NYCDEP strives to achieve a reduction in average consumption of approximately 20 million gallons per day (mgd), allowing the system to meet the demands of growth.
New York City’s wastewater treatment system
consists of 14 wastewater treatment plants, all discharging to adjacent water bodies.
The largest of these is the Newtown Creek Water Pollution Control Plant
(WPCP), which serves all of Lower Manhattan, most of the East Side, and all of
northern Brooklyn, including Community District One.
Its capacity is 310 mgd. Currently,
the WPCP discharges its wastewater effluent to the East River and to Newtown
Creek in the vicinity of Greenpoint.
New York City is an electric load pocket – an area with a severely constrained ability to import power. It is connected by only two 138 kilovolt (kV) circuits to Long Island and three circuits to New Jersey. These constraints mean that the majority of imported power must be delivered to New York City via heavily congested transmission lines that carry power that is generated upstate. Because of transmission constraints, it is essential to system reliability and cost control that most of New York City’s electricity be generated by a diversity of suppliers within the load pocket – that is, within New York City. In future years, demand is expected to grow, and new generating plants will be one of the solutions to assuring system reliability as well as protecting customers from the price shocks that occur when supply is constrained, whether through lack of sufficient generating stations or the exercise of market power. The Project site is near several 345 kV and 138 kV substations where electrical interconnection may be feasible, including the Rainey/Vernon complex to the north, the Greenwood substation to the south, Farragut substation to the southwest, and East 13th Street substation to the west. Two of these substations feed the Brooklyn-Queens 138 kV load pocket, and two are within Brooklyn. By interconnection to multiple substations, the Project can significantly enhance the reliability of in-City supply. TGE will study the potential for one or more interconnections.
TGE envisions that the Project will provide
competitively priced electricity to New York City with the potential of reducing
ratepayers' energy costs by millions of dollars each year.
Natural gas is expected to be supplied by KeySpan Energy.
KeySpan owns and operates gas mains throughout Brooklyn and Long Island.
Its system is fed by a 30” Transco pipeline terminating at Long Beach,
Long Island, as well as by interconnections within the Facility Mains System
jointly owned by KeySpan and Con Edison.
In order to assure adequate natural gas transportation to new electric generating capacity within New York City, system reinforcements are being planned by both Con Edison and KeySpan. The Project will help to finance these reinforcements and in the process assure the adequacy of its own supply. For backup fuel, the Project expects to use the Buckeye Pipeline fuel oil delivery system that is located on-site. In addition, TGE expects to repair and reinforce existing fuel dock facilities to accommodate barge deliveries.
2.3 Project Description
This section describes the preliminary Project design, primary components, water supply, wastewater strategy, air pollution control systems, waste generation and disposal, Project safety systems, and interconnection issues.
2.3.1 Industrial
Processes
The Project is a 1,100 MW (nominal) natural gas-fired
baseload power plant (with low-sulfur fuel-oil back up).
It will supply electricity to the power grid in compliance with the
requirements of the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO).
The Project will participate in the wholesale electricity market, selling
at market-determined prices, thereby providing low-cost electrical energy to New
York City’s consumers. As a
merchant plant, none of the Project’s investment risk will be borne by
electric ratepayers. (Rather, the Project will be permitted, constructed, and
operated, at the sole risk of its owners and investors.)
The proposed Project is configured with four Siemens
Westinghouse 501F combustion turbine-generator trains and two steam
turbine-generators. Each combustion
turbine-generator train will consist of an electric generator, directly
connected to the combustion turbine shaft; the combustion turbine, including
ancillary control and fuel handling equipment; a heat recovery steam generator
(HRSG) with pollution control systems; and an exhaust stack.
Each combustion turbine will generate approximately 180 MW of electricity
(720 MW in all). Exhaust heat from the combustion turbines will be used in the
HRSGs to produce steam that will then drive the two steam turbines, producing
approximately 160 MW of electricity (320 MW in all). The process of utilizing both the power generated by the
combustion turbines along with that generated by the steam turbine is referred
to as “combined” cycle electric generation.
Combined cycle power generation is a highly efficient and an
environmentally preferable source of electricity.
In addition to its operation in combined cycle mode, the Project will be equipped with infrastructure that will enable the production of steam replacing some of the electricity that would otherwise be produced through the steam turbines. The Project envisions that this steam could be delivered to the Con Edison steam system, which provides district heating and cooling. Steam is an efficient and environmentally benign method of heating and cooling buildings, and is widely used in Europe. In the United States, it is limited to large cities with concentrated populations. The maximum steam sendout of the Project would be 2.2 MMlbs/hr, without duct firing. To the extent that TGE steam is used for heating and cooling purposes, the operation of less efficient and environmentally damaging production methods could be avoided. The Project is presently designed to include duct firing (for steam production only). Duct firing permits a significant increase in steam capacity without constructing additional facilities or infrastructure. Duct firing would not be used if all units at the Project were dispatched for electrical power generation only.
In the preliminary layout, the combustion turbine-generator trains are contained in the generation building. The generation building siding will be insulated both to mitigate noise and minimize heating requirements in winter. For maximum land use efficiency, the HRSGs will be vertical structures. Equipment associated with the HRSGs will include boiler feed water pumps, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to control nitrogen oxides (NOX), and an oxidation catalyst to control carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). Downstream of the pollution control will be the exhaust stacks, situated above the HRSGs. The steam turbines will be located adjacent to the generation building and will be connected to an air-cooled condenser where steam exhausted from the steam turbine will be condensed back to its liquid form, water. The water will be returned to the boiler feed pumps where it will be pressurized and returned to the HRSG to be converted again into high-pressure steam. This cycle will use air cooling, and the Project’s air-cooled condenser will be located in the western part of the site.
2.3.2 Preliminary Layout and Appearance
The Project's primary physical on-site components are the generation building, HRSGs with exhaust stacks, control room/maintenance buildings, water treatment and storage infrastructure, steam turbine building, electrical switchyard, air-cooled condensers, fuel oil tanks, and demineralized water tank. The most prominent structures associated with the Project are the air-cooled condensers, approximately 120 feet high, and the exhaust stacks, which are expected to be 200 – 300 feet tall. Air engineering and modeling analyses, to be presented in the Application, will determine the exact stack height. See Figure 2-2, Artist’s Rendering. This layout is based on TGE’s preliminary design efforts and comment received to date. It is not a final layout, and TGE welcomes comments on it.
In public meetings regarding the Project, members of the Greenpoint community have stated that they place great emphasis on the waterfront, and are concerned about access to it and the development that occurs along it. These concerns are also voiced in the Preliminary Report published by the Greenpoint Waterfront Association for Parks and Planning (GWAPP). Accordingly, TGE will focus its design effort so as to recognize and respond to concerns voiced by the community. While it is not technically feasible to significantly alter the scale of the equipment, numerous types of design adjustments, architectural treatment, and landscaping alternatives are possible and will be explored. The Project will investigate the benefits and detriments of combining stack flues, so that the Project would have two dual-flue stacks rather than four single-flue stacks. Dual-flue stacks are potentially preferable from an architectural treatment standpoint due to their width/height proportion. TGE believes that materials on the exterior of the building and stack walls need not communicate a standard, neutral, industrial appearance. The Project will analyze colors, materials, and structures to achieve a design that is both consistent with proper engineering practices and contributes to the cityscape. In summary, it is TGE’s intent that the Project be designed in a way that acknowledges its presence both in the Greenpoint community and in a visible location of citywide significance.
2.3.3 Air Emission Control
The facility will be designed to meet Lowest Achievable Emission Rate (LAER) and Best Available Control Technology (BACT) standards, as applicable, for emissions control. Carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions will be minimized through proper combustion controls and the use of an oxidation catalyst.
For nitrogen oxides (NOx) control, TGE is proposing dry low-NOx combustion, further reduced through selective catalytic reduction (SCR), with a stack emission rate of 2.0 parts per million (ppm). Siemens-Westinghouse 501F turbines represent some of the most advanced,
demonstrated combustion turbine technology available, ensuring that the Project will be among the most reliable, efficient and environmentally clean power plants in the United States. SCR, a post combustion flue gas control, is a commercially available, proven technology to remove NOx from the exhaust gases downstream of the combustion turbine. The SCR process involves injecting an aqueous ammonia solution into the flue gas stream and then passing the flue gas stream through a catalyst bed that converts NOx to benign nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2) gases.
Emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) will be limited by using natural gas as the primary fuel and very low sulfur oil as a backup fuel. Presently, 0.05% sulfur oil is available on the market. However, the EPA requires the use of lower sulfur oil in future years, and the Project will investigate securing these ultra-low-sulfur oil deliveries by pipeline. Fuel oil will be used for periods when natural gas is curtailed and will not be used during the ozone season (May to September) unless required by reliability rules during testing and emergencies.
Emissions of particulate matter (PM and PM-10) will be achieved through the use of natural gas as the primary fuel and proper combustion controls. TGE notes that in its public involvement program, members of the community have frequently inquired with respect to fine particulate matter – solids and liquids less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM-2.5). The Project will minimize its contribution to the formation of PM-2.5 by minimizing the emission of its regulated precursors – NOx, SO2, and VOC – as well as through its combustion of clean natural gas and the reduction in PM and PM-10 emissions that it accomplishes. Furthermore, through the use of emission reduction credits for non-attainment area pollutants such as NOx and VOC, the Project is expected to contribute to permanent reductions in regional emissions that contribute to PM-2.5 formation.
2.3.4 Water and Wastewater
TGE is exploring various alternatives for the supply of water. A municipal water connector is located nearby. Potential sources of water also include recycled wastewater from the Newtown Creek WPCP and existing non-potable groundwater wells in the Brooklyn-Queens Aquifer. The treatment and use of their supplies will be studied and presented in the Application. Water for the Project will be used for several industrial processes, some of which require that it be treated by the Project to potable standards for most parameters, and some at much more stringent standards.
High purity demineralized water is required for steam cycle makeup, combustion turbine inlet air cooling, compressor wash water and injection in the combustion chambers to minimize NOX during oil firing. Use of high purity demineralized water is necessary in the steam turbine and combustion turbine compressors to limit scale formation and minimize corrosion of internal system components. Filtered and disinfected water will be used for plant service uses. Water used for steam sendout will be treated to meet or exceed local steam purity specifications.
Wastewater flows generated by the Project will include sanitary flows, blowdown from the steam cycle, floor drains, and plant service uses. The site is presently connected to the sewer system. Project wastewater will be treated at the Newtown Creek WPCP, which is the largest sewer treatment plant in New York City, with a capacity of 310 million gallons per day (mgd). Expected discharge on a typical day of combined cycle generation is 0.05 mgd, a volume that can be easily absorbed by the system.
2.3.5 Protection Systems
Construction and operation of the Project will be designed and managed to ensure maximum safety for employees and the surrounding community. The safety and emergency response plans for the facility (including spill prevention, control, and countermeasures) will require the input of the FDNY, NYPD, Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, members of the public, and Project engineers. TGE will pay special attention to this issue in light of the fact that waterfront access along North 12th Street will also be explored as part of the Project design. All design, construction, and operational activities and equipment for the proposed Project will be in accordance with applicable regulations, and will comply with the latest standards of applicable engineering associations. These organizations include the National Electrical Manufacturing Association, Department of Transportation, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American National Standards Institute, and the National Fire Protection Association.
The Project will include safety and emergency systems to ensure safe and reliable facility operation. The conceptual plan for all these systems will be presented in the Application. The Project design will include, at a minimum, the following features:
· Secondary containment around storage vessels and areas;
· Equipment and building layouts that incorporate provisions for safe access to and from the facility, as well as adequate access for fire fighting and other emergency equipment;
· Emergency lighting with back-up power supply;
· Automatic shutdown systems with back-up power supply for the turbine control systems, fuel supplies and chemical systems;
· Fire-retardant building materials;
· A comprehensive fire protection system; and
· Emergency medical equipment.
2.3.6 Equipment Reliability
The Siting Board regulations require that the Application provide an assessment of the “reliability and feasibility of the preferred source(s) of power.” 16 NYCRR 1001.1(b). The Project is proposed with the highly-efficient Westinghouse 501F turbine. The Application will include a review of existing publicly available data regarding the dependability of this model and its variants. The proposed scope of this study is described in proposed Stipulation 4.
2.3.7 Electric Transmission
The Project site is near several underground 345 kV and 138 kV circuits. TGE is currently studying the feasibility of interconnections at both 345 kV and 138 kV at several Con Edison substations in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan – Farragut, East 13th Street, Rainey/Vernon, and Greenwood. Con Edison operates the transmission and distribution systems in all of New York City except the Far Rockaway Peninsula. The 345 kV and 138 kV cables in the system are shown in Figure 21. The studies of the proposed interconnection are described in Section 6 of this PSS.
2.3.8 Steam Delivery
The project will be constructed with the capability to deliver steam directly to Con Edison. This capability is being proposed in advance of any potential agreement with Con Edison to take steam from the Project. TGE proposes to construct a steam delivery system under the bed of the East River to the Con Edison steam system on East 13th and 14th streets in Manhattan. The steam interconnection is expected to require the approval of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The USACE has primary regulatory authority over potential obstructions in the nation’s navigation system and shipping channels pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899. It is expected that the steam interconnection will be installed at a sufficient depth to ensure that there is no interference with the East River Federal Navigation Project (maintenance dredging to ensure channel depth in the East River). The Application will provide details as to the steam line’s construction methods and environmental impacts.
2.3.9 Waste Generation and Disposal
Both during construction and operation, the Project will have a solid waste minimization program. Recycling will be encouraged and supported through the on-site placement of appropriate containers. Solid waste and debris that cannot be recycled, reused or salvaged, will be stored on-site temporarily prior to disposal. Programs will be developed to ensure potentially hazardous wastes are separated from normal waste, including segregation of storage areas and proper labeling of containers. All waste will be removed from the site by licensed contractors and disposed at approved facilities.
A minimal amount of solid waste will be generated during plant operations. Office and other facility wastes will be recycled to the extent feasible. Non-recyclable materials will be disposed of by a private contractor. Normal Project maintenance will generate small quantities of solid waste on a periodic basis. The Application will include a solid and hazardous waste management protocol.
2.3.10 Project Construction
Project construction is estimated to be approximately a 34-month process, including extensive environmental remediation. Construction will be performed by unionized labor. Several hundred construction jobs will be created. Construction activities will include the following major phases:
· Demolition work and extensive environmental remediation;
· Construction of interconnections;
· Waterfront cleanup and pier reinforcement;
· Site civil engineering and construction;
· Structural engineering and construction;
· Delivery of major equipment;
· Installation of equipment and piping; and
· Commissioning, leading to commercial operation.
The construction contractor will also test and qualify all workers in accordance with applicable construction code standards.
2.3.11 Project Operation
The Project is designed to be capable of operating continually (24 hours per day, 7 days per week) in order to provide dependable energy. The operational labor force is presently estimated to consist of approximately 40 full-time employees, with most working the normal day shift. The remaining employees will perform shift work to maintain a 24-hour operation.
Plant operations and maintenance workers will be trained and qualified in accordance with industry standards and regulatory requirements. They will have expertise in combined cycle operation as well as steam sendout. Project operations and maintenance personnel will also be trained in the areas of environmental compliance, safety and fire protection.
2.3.12 Financing
The Project will be privately financed. The development risk rests solely with TGE and its investors. No public funds will be used for the permitting, development, construction, or operation of the Project. The Project will set aside funds for decommissioning in the event that the Project does not come to fruition.