FPL Energy is still assessing whether the site is viable for the power plant, Clawson said. That means finding a fuel source, obtaining rights to tie into electrical transmission lines and lining up customers. The application proposes building a 20-mile pipeline, owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric Co., to bring natural gas to Rio Linda from Yolo County. Access to the plant would be built at Sorento Road. The plant would require about 2,785 acre-feet of water per year to operate, about the amount of water used by 14,000 people in one year.
Public hearings are part of the licensing process for new plants.
One issue likely to arise in those hearings is the amount of water the plant will need to operate. Elverta residents' wells have dropped about 2 feet per year for the last 10 to 15 years, Moore said, and she's concerned that a new well could increase the rate of the water table's decline. FPL Energy bought the rights to build the plant from Arkenol Inc. in August. The plant would have produced 12.5 million gallons of ethanol annually. FPL Energy would not disclose what it paid for the rights to the plant site or the costs of constructing the plant, Clawson said.