State Stresses Air Quality at Planned Fpl Coal Plant
Jun 11 - Palm Beach Post
Florida Power & Light Co. can use any technology it wishes at a proposed coal-burning power plant, but it will have to meet the highest air quality standards possible, a state Department of Environmental Protection official said Wednesday.
Oven spoke to the Property & Homeowners Association Wednesday to discuss
the state's role in approving new power plants.
FPL hopes to build what it calls a "clean coal plant" in
southwestern St. Lucie County.
The plan needs county commissioners' approval of a zoning change before going
to the state for approval.
The state's site certification process includes a review of air quality,
water quality, transmission lines and any issues that residents or county
officials raise, Oven said.
The system was adopted several years ago after one utility complained about
the piecemeal approach of getting one permit at a time.
A coal plant's air emissions can vary depending on the coal it burns and the
technology it uses to generate power, Oven said.
"The quality of coal can vary from mine to mine," he said.
FPL is considering using coal from the Appalachian region of the United
States and from Colombia, he said.
Coal would be brought to the plant in 125-car trains.
Bill Hammer, a resident of The Reserve, said his neighbors are concerned
about the long trains blocking the western entrance to their development and
brush fires sometimes caused by sparks from passing trains.
Oven said that will be reviewed in the site certification process to see how
long it will take trains to clear a crossing and what might be done about it.
"They might consider building an overpass," Oven said.
County Commissioner Doug Coward said he wants to know how air emissions from
coal plants compare with other fuels such as natural gas.
"How many power plants can we build in this area and still meet the air
quality standards?" he said.
Two people suggested utility companies pool their money to build a nuclear
power plant.
"Why ask one company to bear the risk?" Hutchinson Island resident
Charles Grande said. "They could join in the cost of an application."
No nuclear plants have been built in the U.S. since the 1979 Three Mile
Island accident.