OAR 345-024-0590: Standard for Non-Base Load Power Plants

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. (4) Before beginning construction, the certificate holder shall notify the Department of Energy in writing of its final selection of an equipment vendor and shall submit a written design information report to the Department sufficient to verify the facility’s designed new and clean heat rate and its nominal electric generating capacity at average annual site conditions for each fuel type. For a base load gas plant designed with power augmentation technology, the certificate holder shall include in the report information sufficient to verify the facility’s designed new and clean heat rate, tested under parameters the Council orders pursuant to section (1), and the nominal electric generating capacity at average site conditions during the intended use for each fuel type from the operation of the proposed facility using the power augmentation technology. The certificate holder shall include the proposed limit on the annual average number of hours for each fuel used, if applicable. The certificate holder shall include the proposed total number of hours of operation for all fuels, subject to the limitation that the total annual average number of hours of operation per year is not more than 6,600 hours. In the site certificate, the Council may specify other information to be included in the report. The Department shall use the information the certificate holder provides in the report as the basis for calculating, according to the site certificate, the gross carbon dioxide emissions from the facility and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions reductions the certificate holder must provide under OAR 345-024-0600. (5)(a) Every five years after commencing commercial operation, the certificate holder shall report to the Council the facility's actual gross carbon dioxide emissions. The certificate holder shall calculate actual gross carbon dioxide emissions using the new and clean heat rate and the actual hours of operation on each fuel during the five-year period or shall report to the Council the actual measured or calculated carbon dioxide emissions as reported to either the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to a mandatory carbon dioxide emissions reporting requirement. (b) The certificate holder shall specify its election of method used to measure or calculate carbon dioxide emissions in the notification report described at section (4) of this rule. That election, once made, shall apply for each five year period unless the site certificate is amended to allow a different election. If the certificate holder calculates actual carbon dioxide emissions using the new and clean heat rate and the actual hours of operation, the certificate holder shall also report to the Council the facility’s actual annual hours of operation by fuel type. If the actual gross carbon dioxide emissions exceed the projected gross carbon dioxide emissions for the five-year period calculated under section (4), the certificate holder shall offset any excess emissions for that period and shall offset estimated future excess carbon dioxide emissions using the monetary path as described in OAR 345-024-0600(3) and (4) or as approved by the Council. (6) For a base load gas plant designed with power augmentation technology, every five years after commencing commercial operation, the certificate holder shall report to the Council the facility’s actual hours of operation using the power augmentations technology for each fuel type. If the actual gross carbon dioxide emissions, calculated using the new and clean heat rate, tested under parameters the Council orders pursuant to section (1), and the actual hours of operation using the power augmentation technology on each fuel during the five-year period exceed the projected gross carbon dioxide emissions for the five-year period calculated under section (4), the certificate holder shall offset any excess emissions for that period and shall offset estimated future excess carbon dioxide emissions using the monetary path as described in OAR 345-024-0600(3) and (4) or as approved by the Council.