Oregon Administrative Rules › Chapter 345 - DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, ENERGY FACILITY SITING COUNCIL › Division 24 - SPECIFIC STANDARDS FOR SITING FACILITIES › Section 345-024-0550 - Standard for Base Load Gas Plants

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 7, July 1, 2024
To issue a site certificate for a base load gas plant, the
				Council must find that the net carbon dioxide emissions rate of the proposed
				facility does not exceed 0.574 pounds of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour of
				net electric power output, with carbon dioxide emissions and net electric power
				output measured on a new and clean basis. For a base load gas plant designed
				with power augmentation technology as defined in OAR 345-024-0503, the Council
				shall apply the standard for a non-base load power plant, as described in OAR
				345-024-0590, to the incremental carbon dioxide emissions from the designed
				operation of the power augmentation technology. The Council shall determine
				whether the base load carbon dioxide emissions standard is met as
				follows:
(1) The Council shall
			 determine the gross carbon dioxide emissions that are reasonably likely to
			 result from the operation of the proposed energy facility. The Council shall
			 base such determination on the proposed design of the energy facility. The
			 Council shall adopt site certificate conditions to ensure that the predicted
			 carbon dioxide emissions are not exceeded on a new and clean basis.
(2) For any remaining emissions reduction
			 necessary to meet the applicable standard, the applicant may elect to use any
			 of the means described in OAR 345-024-0560, or any combination thereof. The
			 Council shall determine the amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas
			 emissions reduction that is reasonably likely to result from the applicant's
			 offsets and whether the resulting net carbon dioxide emissions meet the
			 applicable carbon dioxide emissions standard. The amount of greenhouse gas
			 emissions means the pounds of carbon dioxide and the carbon dioxide equivalent
			 of other greenhouse gases. For methane, one pound of methane is equivalent to
			 25 pounds of carbon dioxide. For nitrous oxide, one pound of nitrous oxide is
			 equivalent to 298 pounds of carbon dioxide.
(3) If the applicant elects to comply with
			 the standard using the means described in OAR 345-024-0560(2), the Council
			 shall determine the amount of greenhouse gas emissions reduction that is
			 reasonably likely to result from each of the proposed offsets. In making this
			 determination, the Council shall not allow credit for offsets that have already
			 been allocated or awarded credit for greenhouse gas emissions reduction in
			 another regulatory setting. The fact that an applicant or other parties
			 involved with an offset may derive benefits from the offset other than the
			 reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is not, by itself, a basis for
			 withholding credit for an offset. The Council shall base its determination of
			 the amount of greenhouse gas emission reduction on the following criteria and
			 as provided in OAR 345-024-0680:
(a) The
			 degree of certainty that the predicted quantity of greenhouse gas emissions
			 reduction will be achieved by the offset.
(b) The ability of the Council to determine
			 the actual quantity of greenhouse gas emissions reduction resulting from the
			 offset, taking into consideration any proposed measurement, monitoring and
			 evaluation of mitigation measure performance.
(c) The extent to which the reduction of
			 greenhouse gas emissions would occur in the absence of the offsets.