Q. Peak demand power plants will mainly be operating in the summer when ozone levels are highest. There has been a great deal of progress in improving the air quality in the Virginia ozone nonattainment areas over the last several years. The number of days that Northern Virginia exceeds the ozone standard has dropped, and the DEQ is continuing to implement measures to further reduce the levels of ozone. Although these new plants will be emitting NOx, which is a precursor to the formation of ozone, the overall amount of NOx being emitted in an area will decrease due to programs that are currently in place and other programs, such as the federal NOx SIP Call, which will be implemented in the near future. DEQ has no authority to control noise levels from a plant.
Several localities do have ordinances regarding noise control.
Check with your locality for any ordinances in effect. Some of these plants will have the ability to burn distillate fuel oil if, for some reason, natural gas is not available. The amount of distillate fuel oil a plant is allowed to burn is limited in the permit. DEQ has established a web site on power plants containing a more complete description of the permitting process, air quality modeling assessment, the potential location of these plants and other useful information.