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Thank you for your interest in getting the facts about Catoctin
Power. We hope the information here helps to answer any questions
you might have, while providing a greater understanding of
the partnership we are proposing between Sempra Generation,
Eastalco and the residents of Frederick County, Md.
Please note that many of the questions featured in this section
are questions you have asked us directly through community
meetings. We welcome more of your questions and comments.
Feel free to submit
more questions you may have about this proposed project.
Again, we welcome your feedback.
Last updated on August 24, 2004.
Questions
about the project
For easier navigation, we've regrouped this section by area
of interest. Just click on one of the topics below to get
to related questions and answers.
PROJECT FEASABILITY AND DESCRIPTION
- What were the results of the feasibility
study conducted by Sempra Generation and Eastalco?
The project feasibility study found that this project
is viable. Sempra Generation has the
permits required to build this plant.
The study looked at a number of key areas of plant development,
including:
- Power market assessment
- Natural gas availability
- Transmission grid access
- Environmental analysis
- Water availability
- Community issues
Click here to see the presentation
made by Sempra Generation at local community open-house events in
Buckeystown in May 2004.
- Is this power really needed?
The Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland (PJM) power grid
has a 23 percent reserve margin, and doesn’t seem
to need the power.
The 23 percent reserve margin cited in the question is
based on all of the PJM region for 2004.
By the time Catoctin Power goes into operation, reserve margins may be much less than the current 23 percent
projected for 2004.
More vital, the PJM region that includes Maryland, may
not be able to benefit fully from this overall reserve
margin without major and costly upgrades to the transmission
system in the area. The electrical transmission capacity
flowing through the Doubs substation to Maryland will
be constrained by 2007 due to equipment limitations.
To maintain reliable power delivery through the Doubs
substation, PJM has projected a $23 million investment
in electrical transmission lines and upgrades to relieve
the constraint. If Catoctin Power is online by 2007, these
transmission upgrade costs can be avoided, and a new source
of efficient and environmentally sound power for the area
will be provided.
Sempra Generation wouldn't build Catoctin Power unless we could sell
a large portion of the power produced at the plant. So,
unless there is an identified or contracted need for the
power, Sempra Generation won't build the plant.
- How big will this project be?
Situated on Eastalco Aluminum Co.'s site, this will be
a $300 million, 600 MW generating site. Fueled
by clean-burning natural gas, this power plant will use
combined-cycle technology and feature the latest in air-emissions-control
technology. It will generate enough electricity
to provide power to about 300,000 homes. The electricity
will get sold to Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey
energy users, including utilities, and large industrial
and commercial firms.
- Where will you build the power
plant?
On about 20 acres of land within a fenced-in, 400-acre
parcel of industrially zoned property directly next to
the Eastalco Aluminum Co. site in Frederick County, Md.
For a site
plan, click here.
- How safe are these plants?
Safety takes top priority at all of Sempra Generation's sites,
and Catoctin Power is no exception.
As a whole, incidents at these new, state-of-the-art,
combined-cycle power plants are rare and are mostly limited
to equipment damage or loss. To our knowledge, there has
not been an injury to the public or damages to nonplant
property from an incident at a natural gas-fired, combined-cycle
power plant.
Catoctin Power will employ the latest in safety equipment
and design, such as automated natural gas detection equipment;
a self-contained fire-protection system, including a dedicated
water supply and fire pumps; fire-detection systems; and
automatic fire-suppression systems to lessen any risk
of fire or casualty to the plant or the nearby property.
- What are the benefits to Frederick
County?
There are many benefits both locally and regionally from
building and running a power plant in this area.
Some of these benefits include:
- Efficient, clean, reliable and
state-of-the-art power generation.
- Ability to sell power to area businesses.
- Property taxes of $400,000 per
year.
- Twenty-five or more full-time employees
with a direct payroll of about $1,250,000 per year.
- $2,250,000 in indirect benefits
(spinoff jobs).
- Employment of as many as 450 workers
during construction and up to 25 full-time employees once
the project is complete.
- Corporate income taxes of $800,000
to $2,300,000 per year and sales taxes of $1,600,000 during
construction.
- Economic benefits for area merchants.
- Economic benefits for area providers
of construction and plant-operation services.
- Taking an active part in community
programs.
- Why are you building for more
than just Eastalco's needs?
Besides meeting Eastalco's needs, Sempra Generation had to evaluate
how to best produce power at a competitive market price.
The MidAtlantic market, which includes Maryland, Pennsylvania
and New Jersey, is deregulating with the anticipation
that there will be a supply of environmentally acceptable
and competitively priced power produced for the region.
Eastalco Works could use as much as half of the power
generated by this plant.
- Who will own the power plant?
Sempra Generation will own and run the plant.
- How high will the stacks be?
The stack height will be about 160 feet, seven feet
taller than any current site structure. Note that stack
height is governed by a number of regulatory requirements,
including U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.
-
Will your plant use oil?
No. We will use clean-burning natural gas.
- Any attempt to integrate renewable-energy
sources into this plant?
Sempra Generation's merchant power plants use state-of-the-art
technology to generate electricity.
We do explore chances to include renewable-energy sources
into our projects. Our El Dorado Energy site in
Nevada, for instance, is equipped with a 100-kilowatt
solar field made up of 256 panels that track the sun's
path through the sky. With it photovoltaic technology,
El Dorado Energy has become a prototype for future developments
of this nature.
- Where will the transmission lines
be run for this project?
One of the benefits of this site is using the transmission
lines already in place.
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VISUAL IMPACT
- How visible will the plant
be and what has Sempra Energy done to lessen visual effects
from the plant?
Catoctin Power will get built right next to Eastalco
Works, a large primary aluminum smelting and production
complex. The project will use about 20 acres of the 400
fenced-in acres set aside for Eastalco Works manufacturing.
The aluminum site has been in the area for more than 30
years, and you can see it from only a few vantage points
in the nearby area. From many of these areas, this visibility
is mostly limited to the winter season, after the leaves
have fallen from the trees.
Based on community input, Catoctin Power put the power
plant within the 400-acre area to obscure it as much as
possible, keeping it away from new residential areas,
and designing its buildings and equipment as low as possible.
The plant will use what is called a plume-abated cooling
tower. The use of a plume-abated cooling tower lessens
the visual steam plumes most of the year, and greatly
reduces the size of the plume during the limited time
that you can see a plume.
Catoctin Power will also use Eastalco Works' current electrical
infrastructure, such as its electrical substation and
transmission lines, so the power plant won't add greatly
to visual impacts by doing away with the need to construct
new transmission lines.
At this time, the tallest structure at Eastalco Works
is about 153 feet tall. The power plant stack height (the
power plant’s tallest structure) will be 160 feet
tall, which is just seven feet taller than the tallest
current structure at Eastalco Works.
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NOISE
- How much noise will the turbines
make?
Click here to learn more about noise levels.
- What kind of noise will the plant
produce?
Catoctin Power will comply with state and county noise
regulations. The Frederick County sound level is 55 db
at the nearest residence. Catoctin Power will run within
that requirement. Area noise studies showed that Catoctin
Power will have no impact on current noise levels.
In designing the Catoctin Power plant, care was taken
to place the gas turbines and the steam turbine in enclosed
buildings as far away from sensitive receptors, to further
reduce noise levels. Catoctin Power is looking into the
use of low-noise fans at the plant's wet-cooling towers
to further lessen concerns about noise.
TRAFFIC
- What will the traffic impact
be?
Normal traffic impacts for running power plants are small.
Traffic impacts during construction will be greater, due
to the higher number of workers going to the construction
site. Construction impacts will be temporary. We will
also work with Eastalco to try and lessen the traffic
impact to this area.
- Will traffic increase on Ballenger
Creek Pike?
Traffic will increase during the construction time period
only, as workers travel to the site. Also, we'll
use the rail line next to the property during construction
for deliveries of large equipment and construction materials.
Overall, when the plant starts running, you'll see little
impact on traffic on Ballenger Creek Pike with 25 to 28
full-time employees on-site.
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PROPERTY VALUES AND LAND USE
- How many acres of wetlands will
be lost as a result of building the
power plant?
None. The proposed project is on Eastalco's manufacturing
plant site, which is already zoned for industrial use.
We will build the power plant within the boundaries of
Eastalco's industrially zoned facilities.
- What effect will Catoctin Power
have on housing values in the area?
Catoctin Power is a clean, efficient power plant that
will get built next to the current Eastalco Works, a large
aluminum smelter facility that has been running for 30
years.
Eastalco Works is, and Catoctin Power will be, on 2,200
acres of land that is mainly industrially zoned, which
provides major buffering from nearby residential areas.
The property is part of an approved Frederick County land-use
master plan that sets this property aside just for industrial
uses.
Putting the Catoctin Power at this site will allow for
the best use of current natural gas, electrical transmission,
water and sewer infrastructure on or right next to the
site. The combination of all these factors will serve
to lessen any impact on local housing values, and is consistent
with smart-growth planning adopted by Frederick County.
Catoctin Power hired RESI Research and Consulting to conduct
a study on the impact of this project on housing values
in the area. People in the community can now view this
study: The
Proposed Catoctin Project: Literature Review & Case
Study Analysis.
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