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Power Plant Construction Gets On Fast Track |
Published Thursday, May 17,
2001 12:00:00 AM
By Joe Florkowski - Staff Writer
CHINO -- There are no major obstacles to prevent
construction of a 180-megawatt power plant on 15
acres of prison land, said state officials on
Wednesday.
There are some minor issues being raised, but
nothing to prevent its construction at the
California Institution for Men, said Kevin
Kennedy, project manager for the California
Energy Commission, which issues permits for
power plants.
"At this point, we are not seeing any show
stoppers," he said.
Kennedy made the comments to more than 30 city
staff, state officials and members of the public
at an informational hearing about the plant at
the Chino City Council Chambers.
Pegasus Power Partners, a subsidiary of New
Jersey-based Delta Power Company, applied to
build the plant on Friday and can gain the
needed permits for construction under an
accelerated 21-day schedule approved by the
governor in February. As part of the accelerated
process, a site tour and a hearing were held on
Wednesday.
The plant would be next to an existing
28-megawatt power plant operated by Delta on the
north side of the prison property, said Jay
Roland, project manager for Pegasus.
Underground utility lines would then be
installed and connected to a transmission line
on the south side of Edison Avenue, he said.
That transmission line would connect to Southern
California Edison's substation across the
street. Roland later added that Pegasus hopes to
reach agreement with state officials to lease
the land for 35 years.
If the CEC approves construction of the plant on
May 30, construction would begin on June 1. It
is expected to be completed by Sept. 30. Three
gas turbines would generate 135 megawatts and
the fourth would come online by March 30, 2002.
California Energy Commissioner Robert Pernell,
who will vote on approving the plant's permit,
oversaw Wednesday's meeting and said he wants to
expedite the plant's construction if there are
no problems.
"I want to stay on schedule," Pernell said. "If
there is no fatal flaw, I want to have this
project up and generating electricity."
Chino officials presented no major objections to
the proposed plant but were concerned about how
it could affect the city's future plans for
future land, said Chuck Coe, community
development director.
The city has plans to construct a golf course
and other additional facilities on about 180
acres of land near the proposed power plant.
Joe Florkowski can be reached by e-mail at
j_florkowski@dailybulletin.com or by phone at
(909) 483-8551. |
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