Hayward power plant pollution probed

Feb 26 - Rebecca Parr The Daily Review, Hayward, Calif.

 

A hotly debated power plant may be violating its pollution limits and needs to fix the problem as soon as possible, air quality regulators say.

Russell City Energy Center's cooling tower is putting out almost 10 times the allowed amount of water droplets that could contain particulate matter, its operator's own tests show, according to a complaint filed by the staff of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

Calpine, which owns Russell City, has been violating its permit since it began operating the power plant in August, the complaint says.

The power plant near the San Mateo Bridge was built over the objections of many residents, who called it an eyesore and polluter, but lawsuits to stop its construction were unsuccessful. The 619-megawatt natural-gas facility began operating in August and produces enough energy to power 600,000 homes.

Calpine said Tuesday that its own tests found that water droplets from the tower exceeded the permitted level, but the particulate matter in the droplets is within the allowed level. It blames the cooling tower emissions on "design or construction defects," according the air district complaint. The company is requesting temporary relief from enforcement until it can comply with emission limits.

The air district is trying to determine how much particulate matter is in the water droplets coming from the cooling tower. Under Russell City's permit, it was estimated the tower would emit up to 52.6 pounds of particulate matter each day. Calpine's testing showed the water droplets escaping from the tower is almost 10 times higher than the permit limit, "suggesting that the excess particulate matter emissions may be substantial," according to the air district complaint.

Calpine notified area and state regulators when it found the higher droplet rate, a spokesman said. "We are actively working on addressing this issue at Russell City, and we remain committed to operating our facilities within their permitted emission levels," said Brett Kerr.

Even though the tower appears to exceed its allowed limits, total particulates from the plant are still lower than the limit set in its license, said Matthew Layton of the state Energy Commission. Emissions also come from turbines, an emergency generator and other areas, he said.

"What it's emitting is a very small amount," he said.

The district's board will take up matter at its March 13 hearing, which starts at 9 a.m. at 939 Ellis St., San Francisco.

Calpine also will be meeting with state Energy Commission staff members, said Christopher Marxen, the agency's compliance office manager. The state agency could fine Calpine if the problem persists or the company is found negligent, but the focus is on fixing the problem, he said.

"We plan to work with the owners' representatives to get them back into compliance," he said.

Contact Rebecca Parr at 510-293-2473 or follow her at Twitter.com/rdparr1.

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