Oregon Administrative Rules › Chapter 345 - DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, ENERGY FACILITY SITING COUNCIL › Division 24 - SPECIFIC STANDARDS FOR SITING FACILITIES › Section 345-024-0590 - Standard for Non-Base Load Power Plants

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 7, July 1, 2024
To issue a site certificate for a non-base load power 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
				345-001-0010, the Council shall apply this standard to the incremental carbon
				dioxide emissions from the designed operation of the power augmentation
				technology. The Council shall determine whether the 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 limitation on the hours of generation for each fuel type and the
			 average temperature, barometric pressure and relative humidity at the site
			 during the times of the year when the facility is intended to operate. For a
			 base load gas plant designed with power augmentation technology, the Council
			 shall base its determination of the incremental carbon dioxide emissions on the
			 proposed design of the facility, the proposed limitation on the hours of
			 generation using the power augmentation technology and the average temperature,
			 barometric pressure and relative humidity at the site during the times of the
			 year when the facility is intended to operate with power augmentation
			 technology. The Council shall adopt site certificate conditions to ensure that
			 the predicted carbon dioxide emissions are not exceeded on a new and clean
			 basis; however, the Council may modify the parameters of the new and clean
			 basis to accommodate average conditions at the times when the facility is
			 intended to operate and technical limitations, including operational
			 considerations, of a non-base load power plant or power augmentation technology
			 or for other cause.
(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 345-024-0600  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 345-024-0600(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.