Politics & Government

CA Energy Commission Meets to Discuss Proposed Power Plant Near Santee

A proposed power plant on the border of Santee is in the first stages of development, with initial meetings and site reviews taking place- see the notes from Friday's meeting.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) met Friday afternoon to perform a , a power plant that would be located south of the near the Santee city limits. This was one of the first times the project applicant and City of San Diego employees met face-to-face to discuss the project.

According to the application for certification: "The project as described within the application comprises a nominal 100 megawatt natural gas‐fired peaking power facility... The site for the project was specifically chosen because of its close proximity to existing high voltage transmission lines and natural gas lines situated within the project site."

Quail Brush Genco, LLC, is the company applying to construct and operate the plant, and it would be done in concert with SDG&E.

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The meeting egenda included discussion of traffic and transportation (including Gillespie Field), land use, soil and water, air quality, biologial resources, cultural resources, geology and worker safety concerning unexploded ordinance in the area.

Santee City Planning Director , who was in the audience at the meeting, said the city has an eye on the project, especially concerning the visibility of the plant in the hills north of Santee.

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The Sycamore Landfill area, which is owned by the city of San Diego, has proved to be a thorn in Santee City Hall's side lately, as they just finished .

Two Santee residents asked questions during the meeting concerning house value impacts, potential disruptions, gas line issues, land acquisition, visibility of the plant on the landscape and other neighborhood impact issues. About 40 people were in the audience. The CEC said there will be further public meetings and a site visit in December.

To recieve emails from the CEC regarding the project and upcoming meetings, sign up here and choose "quailbrush" under the "Project Under Review" tab.

The proposed project is set to commence commercial operation in June 2014, according to the application. This facility has been highlighted as a power source that would add additional resources during peak power use, so not as many occur.

According to the application cover letter: "The facility’s high efficiency and quick start capabilities will also help SDG&E meet customer demand when intermittent renewable generating resources are not available."

Here's a rundown on what happened at the meeting:

Traffic transport main concerns

-2,500 trips per day over the life of the facility (truck traffic) are expected. There is concern about the amount of trucks using Mast Boulevard to use the landfill in addition to the power plant traffic, and want to make sure the road can handle truck traffic.

-There are aviation issues: Gillespie Field is three miles away and MCAS Airspace is a mile northwest from the site. A project that produces plumes that could potentially affect low flying aircraft requires a plume velocity analysis.

Soil and Water

-Site is located in high priority zone, required to meet requirements such for storm water discharge.

-1,000 gallons of water will be used per minute during construction. Apparently, the City of San Diego has a fire hydrant on Mast, they want to truck that water to the site.

Air Quality

- Non-traditional emission reduction projects, such as street sweeping and tree planting, are being discussed.

-Searching for ways to use gas generated by waste in the Sycamore Landfill in the power plant.

Biological Resources

- CEC is concerned about Quino Checkerspot Butterfly environment being affected by the plumes.

-CEC wonders where will lost natural environments of Sycamore Canyon will be replaced?

-Golden Star species may require transplantation.

-The power company agrees that environmental impacts will be there, and there needs to be mediation. What that will be isn't yet clear.

-They hope to build on as much already "disturbed land" on Sycamore Landfill property as possible.

For source documents, including maps and applications, go here.

 

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