Energy company planning biodiesel plant at Ueland Tree Farm able to power 200,000 homes – US.
One of the nation’s largest independent energy companies is partnering with a landowner west of Lake Kitsap to propose a power plant in a former rock quarry.
Tenaska consultants, based in Omaha, Nebraska, have begun the licensing process to develop a biodiesel-powered turbine and generator at Ueland Tree Farm. The 215 megawatt power station would be capable of powering 200,000 homes when activated. Its developers are aiming for 2025.
The plant would only be used during peak hours, likely during hot summer days or cold winter days, to make the local power grid more reliable, said Patrick Leslie, a former head of emerging technologies at Puget. Sound Energy which manages the project for Tenaska.
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Patrick Leslie said of the plant, which has been dubbed Seabrooke Renewable Energy Facility, said:
It’s the way to keep the lights on at low cost and be as environmentally friendly as possible.
The project is one of the newest from Tenaska, a company that has developed more than 11,000 megawatts of natural gas and renewable energy projects across the country, according to Forbes. Investors in the project, which is estimated to cost between $225 and $250 million, include Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.
The proposal, if built, would create the first large-scale power plant in Kitsap County – if you don’t count the Kitsap Naval Base heat-generating steam plant, smaller-scale backup generators and the navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft fleet. carriers and submarines that cross local waters. It would also be the first such biodiesel power plant in Washington, according to the state Department of Commerce.
The construction of the plant will require up to 150 jobs. The plant will also employ about five permanent operators, Leslie said.
Why here, why now?
Puget Sound Energy’s electric grid in Kitsap County faces a precarious future, and the utility has asked for proposals on ways to increase electricity reliability on the peninsula. But the utility said it could not yet discuss specific proposals.
Although all electricity in Kitsap County is served by PSE, no contract has been signed and the power plant, if built as planned, is open to contract with the utility of its choice.
The project must overcome a myriad of regulatory hurdles before construction can begin, including approval for its emissions through the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.
Craig Ueland, owner of his eponymous tree farm since 2004, said a consultant representing Tenaska approached his family in October 2021.
Craig Ueland said:
They particularly liked that the site was adjacent to transmission lines, centrally located with good road access, and yet in a secluded location.
He said they had “many questions” about the idea of such an installation on their property, but came to believe it was important after “learning about the seriousness of our electricity problems. local and regional”.
“As our country transitions from fossil fuels to renewables, we must have enough backup capacity to avoid brownouts simply because the sun isn’t shining, the wind isn’t blowing, or the buildup of snow is light,” Ueland said. “We don’t have that capacity now, and Kitsap County doesn’t have enough resilience in its power grid.”
Although there is still a long permitting process, the mayor of Bremerton and the county commissioner representing the region support the project. The plant, although located in unincorporated Kitsap County, is near the city’s SoundView Estates subdivision; its road traffic will also use Werner Road.
How “green” is it? Environmental impact assessment
The facility will purchase its biodiesel from Chevron-owned Renewable Energy Group’s Grays Harbor plant. Made from a blend of primarily soybean and canola oils, a by-product of animal feed, the total 14-acre site will include 1.87 million gallons of storage. Given its limited operating schedule, its developers say it will use a minimum of 400,000 gallons per year, although it can operate, at most, up to six million gallons in an emergency.
Documents filed with the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency describe the turbine for use with biodiesel as similar to a model manufactured by General Electric. It will be connected to a 60ft chimney and its emissions will include carbon dioxide and fine particulate matter, although the amount it emits is capped by the agency.
The plant will require renewable diesel to be activated for the first time, but will switch to biodiesel in a few days, Leslie said.
As a fuel plant, the site will still produce greenhouse gas emissions, at a time when heads of state in particular are moving aggressively to ban carbon-emitting energy sources. Is a gas turbine, although powered by biodiesel, really any different?
Daniel Kirschen, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Washington, said:
Whether it’s really green is debatable because you’re still producing CO2.
Energy company planning biodiesel plant at Ueland Tree Farm able to power 200,000 homes – US., October 10, 2022
