The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality plans to issue air permits to Navasota South Peakers Operating Co. I LLC for the Union Valley Energy Center project, with that intent to be the subject of a Nov. 30 contested case hearing.
The commission said in an Oct. 20 notice that its executive director has decided to issue two air permits for the Union Valley Energy Center, to be located near Nixon in Wilson County, Texas. A full Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) increment analysis was not required because the predicted impacts of all pollutants subject to PSD increment review were below the significant impact level for each pollutant, the commission said.
The State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) will conduct a formal contested case hearing on Nov. 30. The hearing will be a legal proceeding similar to a civil trial in state district court. The hearing will address the disputed issues of fact identified in the TCEQ order concerning this application issued on Sept. 30. In addition to these issues, the judge may consider additional issues if certain factors are met.
The project itself is not described in the Oct. 20 notice. The commission had said in an Aug. 10 notice that the Union Valley Energy Center would be made up of three new natural gas-fired combustion turbine generators (CTGs). The CTGs will be the General Electric 7FA model (nominal 183 MW each) operating as peaking units in simple cycle mode for 2,500 hours each per year. Each turbine has a maximum design capacity of 1,961 million British thermal units per hour (MMBtu/hr).
On May 27, Quantum Utility Generation LLC announced that one of its affiliates has acquired a three-project development portfolio of natural gas-fired peakers from Navasota Energy Services LLC, including the Union Valley project.
A project contact is: Navasota South Peakers Operating Co. I LLC, Bill Skinner, Director of Engineering, 281-252-5221.
