SECOND	RECIRCULATED	DRAFT	EIR

FOR	THE

SIERRA	PACIFIC	COGENERATION	POWER PROJECT

SCH#	2009072011

FEBRUARY	2012

Prepared	for:

Shasta	County	Department	of	Resource	Management

Planning	Division

1855	Placer	Street,	Suite	103

Redding,	CA		96001

(530)	225-5532

Prepared	by:

De	Novo	Planning	Group

4630	Brand	Way

Sacramento,	CA	95819

(916)	949-3231

De	Novo	Planning	Group

A	Land	Use	Planning,	Design,	 and	Environmental	Firm
2012 2.0 GREENHOUSE	GASES	AND	CLIMATE	CHANGE

2.0-30 Second	Recirculated	Draft	EIR	–	SPI	Cogeneration	Power	Project

As	shown	in	Table	2-2,	the	construction	phase	of	the	proposed	project	would	generate	up	to	120	

tons	 per	 year	 of	 CO2.	 	 These	 GHG	 emissions	 would	 occur	 one	 time	 only,	 during	 project	

construction,	and	are	significantly	below	the	established	threshold	of	25,000	metric	tons	of	CO2e	

per	 year.	 	 Therefore,	 construction-related	 GHG	 impacts	 would	 be	 less	 than	 significant,	 and	 no	

mitigation	is	required.		

OPERATIONAL	GHG EMISSIONS

The	 following	 discussion	 describes	 the	 various	 operational	 aspects	 of	 the	 proposed	 project	 that	

would	 generate	 GHG	 emissions	 and	 the	 assumptions	 related	 to	 each	 operational	 aspect	 of	 the	

project	that	were	used	to	quantify	project	GHG	emissions.		

Biomass	Combustion	at	Power	Plant		

The	 proposed	 Cogen	 Facility	 is	 to	 produce	 31	 MW	 (gross)	 of	 electrical	 power	 by	 consuming	

220,000	 bone	 dry	 tons	 (BDT)	 of	 woody	 biomass	 gathered	 from	 a	 variety	 of	 sources.	 	 Based	 on	

information	 supplied	 by	 the	 project	 applicant,	 there	 were	 different	 estimates	 of	 the	 project’s	

biomass	 fuel	blend	by	 fuel	 type.		One	estimate	assumed	 that	 the	entire	project	 (100%)	could	be	

fueled	 by	mill	 residuals	 from	 the	 SPI	 Anderson	 and	 the	 SPI	 Shasta	 Lake	 sawmill	 operations.	It	 is	

reported	 that	 the	 SPI	 Anderson	 Sawmill	 facility	 has	 the	 capability	 to	 provide	 sixty-five	 percent	

(65%)	of	the	fuel	requirements	of	the	proposed	biomass	facility	by	using	100%	of	the	SPI	Anderson	

mill	residuals.	The	remaining	35%	of	the	annual	biomass	needed	can	be	mill	residuals	from	the	SPI	

Shasta	Lake	Sawmill	facility,	located	eighteen	(18)	miles	north	of	the	SPI	Anderson	facility.		

An	alternative	fuel	type	mix	was,	however,	used	for	this	GHG	analysis,	in	order	to	present	a	more	

likely,	average,	fuel	mix	over	the	life	of	the	facility.		It	assumes	that	not	all	the	woody	biomass	for	

fuel	 comes	 from	mill	 residues,	but	also	may	 come	 from	 forest	 harvesting	 operations	 (as	 harvest	

slash),	 forest	thinning	operations	 (to	reduce	wildfire	hazards),	agricultural	woody	waste	 from	the	

Sacramento	Valley	agricultural	areas,	and	some	urban	wood	waste.	

The	 fuel	 mix	 assumptions	 used	 in	 this	 analysis	 are	 considered	 a	 conservative	 “worst-case”	

scenario.		For	example,	by	sourcing	fuel	from	agricultural	woody	waste	sources	in	the	Sacramento	

Valley,	 the	 fuel	 deliveries	 to	 the	 project	 site	 would	 consume	 more	 diesel	 fuel	 (associated	 with	

truck	trips)	than	if	all	of	the	project’s	fuel	were	sourced	from	the	SPI	Anderson	and	SPI	Shasta	Lake	

sawmill	sites.		Additionally,	fuel	supplied	from	in-forest	sources	(slash	and	thinnings)	would	require	

the	 use	 of	 heavy	 machinery	 for	 fuel	 collection	 and	transport.	 	 So	 while	 the	 existing	 sawmills	 at	

Anderson	 and	 Shasta	 Lake	 may	 supply	 100%	 of	 the	 project’s	 fuel	 in	 a	 given	 year,	 the	 project	

applicant	may	 source	up	 to	 35%	of	 the	project’s	 fuel	 from	alternative	 sources	and	locations	in	a	

given	year,	which	may	result	in	increased	emissions	associated	with	fuel	collection	and	transport.		

The	mix	of	biomass	fuel	types	used	in	the	analysis	is	presented	in	Table	2-3	below.
2.0 GREENHOUSE	GASES	AND	CLIMATE	CHANGE 2012

Second	Recirculated	Draft	EIR	–	SPI	Cogeneration	Power	Project 2.0-31

TABLE	2-3: REPRESENTATIVE	WOODY	BIOMASS	FUEL	MIX	OF	PROJECT

ANNUAL	FUEL	USE MILL

HARVEST	

SLASH

THINNINGS AGRICULTURE

URBAN	

WOOD

TOTAL

BDT	per	year 140,000 20,000 20,000 25,000 15,000 220,000

Percentage	of	BDT 64% 9% 9% 11% 7% 100%

It	 should	 be	 noted	 though,	 that	 in	 the	 calculation	 of	 total	 potential	 GHG	 emissions	 from	 the	

combustion	of	the	woody	biomass,	it	is	the	total	of	220,000	BDT	that	was	used,	as	the	location	of	

where	 it	 came	 from	 for	 this	 calculation	 does	 not	 affect	 the	 total	 GHG	 emissions	 of	 the	 woody	

biomass	combustion.		

Natural	Gas	Combustion	at	the	Power	Plant	

The	proposed	project	will	utilize	natural	gas	during	start	up	and	shut	down	activities,	as	well	as	for	

flame	 stabilization.	 	The	 Cogen	 Facility	 boiler	will	 be	equipped	with	 two	 (2)	 natural	gas	 burners,	

each	 with	 a	 maximum	 rated	 heat	 input	 of	 62.5	 MMBtu/hours.	 	 The	 air	 quality	 permit	 for	 the	

facility	has	not	yet	been	issued,	but	may	have	the	maximum	annual	natural	gas	usage	set	at	10%	of	

the	 burner	 annual	 capacity	 factor.	 	 This	 would	 mean	 that	 that	 the	 natural	 gas	 burners	 could	

operate	 at	 nearly	 3,000	 hours	 per	 year.	 	 However,	 it	 is	 expected	 that	 the	 actual	 usage	 will	 be	

considerably	less	than	this.		Thus,	for	the	purposes	of	GHG	emissions	calculations,	the	natural	gas	

usage	was	set	at	500	hours	of	the	two	burners	operating.		The	assumption	of	500	hours	per	year	of	

burner	 operation	 is	 based	 on	 a	 review	 of	 the	 operational	 characteristics	 of	 similar	 facilities	 in	

Shasta	County,	discussions	with	Shasta	AQMD	staff,	and	professional	knowledge	of	biomass	facility	

operations.	 This	 assumption	 is	 likely	 an	 overestimate	 of	 actual	 burner	 operations	 on	 an	 annual	

basis,	and	is	considered	a	very	conservative	estimate	for	use	in	this	quantification.		

Fuel	Yard	Loader	

The	 GHG	 emissions	 of	 the	 fuel	 yard	 equipment	 are	 included	 in	 the	 operational	 GHG	 emissions	

inventory.		The	equipment	proposed	for	use	in	the	woody	biomass	fuel	yards	is	a	Caterpillar	980B	

Front	End	Bucket	Loader.		Proposed	operational	parameters	are:		Operating	16	hours	per	day,	at	

six	days	a	week	would	equal	112	hour/week,	or	a	total	of	5,284	hours	per	year.		

Truck	Idling		

Woody	 biomass	 from	 the	 forest,	agriculture,	and	 urban	 sources,	as	well	as	a	 portion	 of	 the	mill	

residuals	 coming	 from	 other	 SPI	 facilities	 will	 require	 that	 the	 chip	 van	 trucks	 may	 idle	 at	 the	

facility	while	waiting	to	off	load	woody	biomass	fuel.		The	idling	time	for	each	truck	was	assumed	

to	be	15	minutes.		Ash	hauling	trucks	were	also	included	in	this	GHG	emissions	calculation.

Employee	Trips	

The	SPI	Anderson	Cogen	Facility	project	will	increase	the	number	of	employees	by	six.		Thus,	the	

GHG	emissions	for	six	new	employees	and	their	commute	to	and	from	the	facility	were	calculated.