Public comment open until Dec. 7 on proposed renovo power plant

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is currently accepting public feedback (through Dec. 7) on a 1240-megawatt natural gas-powered electric generation station proposed to be built on the western edge of the Clinton County borough of Renovo.

The following information was provided to the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association via a fact sheet about the project from the DEP.

The Proposed Project
Renovo Energy Center LLC (“Renovo Energy”) proposes to construct a 1240-megawatt electric generating station at the former Pennsylvania Railroad and Philadelphia & Erie Railroad railcar repair and renovation facility at the western end of Renovo Borough in Clinton County. ​

Fact sheet PDF:

renovo_energy_fact_sheet_final_11-25-2020.pdf
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Bechtel Corporation will provide the engineering and construction oversight for the plant, which would provide electricity for customers in Pennsylvania and New York. As a part of this process, on August 5, 2015, Renovo Energy originally submitted an Air Quality plan approval application which outlined that the station would be powered by two natural gas and ultra-low sulfur diesel fired combustion turbine engines, which are coupled with heat recovery steam generators. This project was previously approved by the Department on January 26, 2018 and while the approval remains active, construction has not yet begun.

The project currently under review is an amendment of the previous project. On December 30, 2019, Renovo Energy Center, LLC (REC) submitted a plan approval application for addition of the heat recovery steam generators and the duct burners. The duct burners will be used to optimize the overall efficiency of the plant to produce the nominal 1,240 MW of electrical power. The addition of the heat recovery steam generator and duct burner to the proposed project had minimal impact on the emissions and did not exceed the ambient air quality standards. 

What is DEP’s role in this project?
The Department’s role is to determine if Renovo Energy’s permit applications meet the applicable state and federal laws and regulations. The Air Quality plan approval and permitting process requires this facility to meet requirements in the PA Air Pollution Control Act and its regulations, as well as federal new source review and prevention of significant deterioration regulations, which require the facility to emit the lowest achievable emissions rate with the use of Best Available Control Technology. The facility is also required to demonstrate that it meets the ambient air quality standards via dispersion modeling. 

The Department has completed its initial technical review and a notice of intent to issue a plan approval has been published in the PA Bulletin and a local newspaper, but before a final permit decision is made, the public and EPA have an opportunity to comment on the proposed plan approval. The Department believes written comments will improve DEP’s evaluation of the project. A public comment period opened on October 17, 2020 and will close on December 7, 2020. DEP will respond to all comments received during the public comment period as part of a publicly-available comment response document. Any comments submitted after December 7, 2020 but before the Department makes a final decision will also be considered, but may not receive a written response. 

Where can I find a copy of these applications?
​All pertinent documents used in the evaluation of the application including application, technical review memo, modeling information, and the proposed plan approval are available for public review on DEP’s website. Please visit the DEP NCRO Community Information web page under “What’s New?”: https://www.dep.pa.gov/About/Regional/North-central-Regional-Office/Community-Information/

When will DEP make a final decision on these permit applications?
DEP will not make a final decision on these permit applications until it has been determined that any necessary approvals are administratively and technically complete, meet the applicable federal and state regulations, and have considered all comments collected during the public comment period. Currently, the Department is gathering written comments to aid DEP’s evaluation of the project.

Other DEP permits and/or approvals may also be required prior to construction and/or operation of the project. 

Contacts
Muhammad Zaman
Environmental Program Manager, Air Quality Program
PA DEP, Northcentral Regional Office
208 West Third Street, Suite 101
Williamsport, PA 17701
Phone: 570.327.3648
Email: mzaman@pa.gov

David Shimmel
Environmental Engineer Manager Air Quality Program
PA DEP, Northcentral Regional Office
208 West Third Street, Suite 101
Williamsport, PA 17701
Phone: 570.327.3568
Email: dshimmel@pa.gov 

Megan Lehman
Community Relations Coordinator
PA DEP, Northcentral Regional Office
208 West Third Street, Suite 101
Williamsport, PA 17701
Phone: 570.327.3659
Email: meglehman@pa.gov

John Brakeall
Environmental Justice Coordinator
PA DEP, Northcentral Regional Office
208 West Third Street, Suite 101
Williamsport, PA 17701
Phone: 717.783.9731
Email: jbrakeall@pa.gov