Consolidated, multimedia environmental review and licensing of a landfill gas combustion/electrical generation system in Maryland
To build a power plant or transmission line in the State of Maryland, a company must obtain a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) from the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC). As part of this licensing process, applicants must address a full range of environmental, engineering, socioeconomic, planning, need, and cost issues. The CPCN constitutes permission to construct and operate the facility, and includes issuance of the required air quality and water appropriations permits. The Maryland Power Plant Research Program (PPRP) serves as the lead agency for the consolidated review of CPCN projects. A recent project in Maryland involved the beneficial use of collected landfill gas from a closed municipal solid waste landfill for the generation of up to 4 Megawatts (MW) of electricity. This electrical generation will be continuously fed into the existing transmission system under a power purchase agreement with the local power company. The project is unique is several aspects: the use of former Rolls Royce aircraft engines fitted with generator sets to produce electricity; the beneficial reuse of landfill gas which is currently being flared at the landfill; and the collaborative environmental review that was conducted for this project that resulted in a streamlined licensing approach. This paper will include: a description of the landfill gas combustion/electrical generation system; an explanation of the review process conducted for the project including New Source Review, ambient air impacts assessed through air dispersion modeling, noise generation impacts, and ecological impacts; background on power plant licensing in Maryland; and a discussion of how the collaborative approach led by PPRP proved to be proactive and environmentally beneficial.
- Research Organization:
- Environmental Resources Management, Annapolis, MD (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 20006486
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-990608-; TRN: IM200008%%93
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Air and Waste 92nd Annual Meeting and Exhibition, St. Louis, MO (US), 06/20/1999--06/24/1999; Other Information: 1 CD-ROM. Operating Systems: Windows 3.1, '95, '98 and NT; Macintosh; and UNIX; PBD: 1999; Related Information: In: Air and Waste 92nd annual meeting and exhibition proceedings, [9500] pages.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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