The two initial generating plants at the Ely Energy Center will be designed to use coal in a cleaner more efficient manner than any existing coal-fired power plant in the West, surpassing current pollution control requirements. It will raise the bar for other projects that follow.

Our Environmental Commitment includes:

• Minimize release of pollutants at company facilities
• Conserve natural resources, protect wildlife habitat
• Practice responsible waste management and recycling
• Promote energy and water use efficiency
• Reduce environmental health and safety risks
• Educate customers about the safe use of our products

More Environmental Details about Ely

Preliminary air quality screening has shown the project will minimize air quality impacts at any of the National parks in Nevada, Utah and Arizona. SPR will be conducting further detailed modeling studies to ensure that all Federal and State air quality requirements are met.

When it becomes commercially viable, coal gasification (the second phase of Ely's generation component) is expected to be the most environmentally friendly coal–fired generation technology.

The project will use Western coal as its fuel, a a highly abundant energy resource which has very low sulfur content.

The facility is also being designed to minimize water use, consistent with our principles of wise stewardship of this precious resource. It will be designed to use only about half of the water consumed by conventional coal-fired power plants.

The units will utilize state–of–the–art controls to remove sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen and mercury from facility emissions.

Owing to the high–efficiency and advanced technology of the proposed facility, carbon dioxide emissions will be substantially reduced per kilowatt hour.

View a diagram of the Ely Energy Center's super-critical boilers and emissions reduction features

Specifics

Super Critical Coal Burning
The Ely Energy Center uses state-of-the-art, super-critical coal-burning units, which are 5-10 percent more efficient than traditional sub-critical technology because of higher operating temperatures and pressures.

For each 1 percent improvement in efficiency there is a 3 percent reduction in emissions per megawatt hour because fuel consumption is reduced.

The center is designed to use Powder River Basin (PRB) coal, which is the lowest available sulfur coal, further reducing emissions from the facility.

Air Permit:
The new facility will be subject to review requirements of 40 CFR §52.21 Prevention of Significant Deterioration air quality assessment requirements, and stringent impact criteria. The PSD regulations require that a major emissions source apply best-available control technology for each pollutant subject to regulation.

As part of the approval process, modeling of ambient air and meteorological conditions at each proposed site will be performed by the companies.

To ensure accurate modeling of the existing air quality in the Steptoe Valley, the companies have installed advanced air monitoring equipment to measure ambient air quality and conditions at two different sites. Monitoring towers measuring 160 feet tall will be built for mounting of meteorological instrumentation. The height is required to eliminate uncertainty of measurements taken at lower elevations. Doppler radar units will measure wind speed and direction up to 1,500-foot elevations.

The facilities will record data for approximately one year. Once the first phase of data has been collected, the companies will submit an air permit application in the fall of 2006. The companies anticipate issuance of the air permits in late 2007 or early 2008.

After receiving Public Utilities Commission approval, Nevada Power and Sierra Pacific Power will file for an Authority to Construct permit from the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection.

CO₂ Capture
Sierra Pacific Resources is participating in a research project managed by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) that is investigating the capture and long-term storage of CO₂. The study will help Sierra Pacific Resources--and all energy companies--discover what technologies are feasible and useful.

EPRI Pilot CO₂Project

Wastewater
Ely Energy Center will be permitted as a zero discharge facility whereby all storm water and wastewater streams are managed or evaporated on site.

It is anticipated that the new units will generate virtually no process wastewater to the evaporation ponds because they will employ hybrid cooling or similar low water usage cooling technologies. Moreover, the wastewater management system will be designed to recover residual wastewater, with ultimate utilization in the ash handling and dry scrubbing systems and for dust suppression.

Water
Water engineering studies, including groundwater sampling and analysis, well drilling and pumping tests, are needed to evaluate the cost, feasibility, schedule, and risks associated with development and acquisition of the above potential water supplies.

An aquifer modeling study will be prepared to forecast the maximum sustainable pumping rate. Moreover, a strategic plan for water supply acquisition will be developed to support the plant. As a high level estimate, the non-potable water supply requirement for 1,500 megawatts is about 8,000-acre-feet a year.

Ash
The coal combustion will produce fly ash and bottom ash as by-products. It is expected that the fly ash and bottom ash will be land filled on-site in a controlled area. However, opportunities that arise where these by-products can be sold for beneficial use will be pursued.

Gypsum byproduct
Calcium sulfate, or gypsum, is produced in varying amounts and quality depending on the sulfur removal or "scrubbing" technology used in the plant. Opportunities for these by-products to be sold for beneficial use will be pursued.