Greenpeace, NRDC oppose Sempra's proposed coal-fired Nevada plant

Greenpeace, NRDC oppose Sempra's proposed coal-fired Nevada plant

Washington (Platts)--23May2005


Two national environmental groups are joining the fight against a proposed
coal-fired power plant near Gerlach, Nevada. Greenpeace and the Natural
Resources Defense Council are teaming up with local groups including the
Nevada Clean Energy Coalition, to oppose Sempra Energy's proposed Granite Fox
plant in northern Nevada. 

A Greenpeace spokesman Monday said the group sees the plant as an affront to
skirt California's efforts to promote energy efficiency and renewables. "This
is completely outside the energy plan laid out by California," Coequyt said.
"There's no reason just because it is in the Nevada desert that Californians
should be buying that power." 

He said it was also part of the organization's efforts to get Sempra to "stop
investing in dirty energy outside California and focus on energy efficiency
and renewables. This is the newest and worst effort by Sempra to go around the
wishes of their customers with something that never would be built in the
state."

Sempra has said emissions will be 85%-90% lower than from coal plants built 20
years ago. In addition, the company will pay about $150-mil for a major
upgrade to the power grid, which would enable wind or geothermal generation to
be added. 

Meetings are planned this week in Reno and Gerlach about the scope of
environmental studies to be conducted. San Diego-based Sempra wants to build
the 1,450-MW plant on the fringe of the Black Rock Desert 90 miles north of
Reno. Company officials say the plant will help meet growing energy demands.
But environmentalists say the coal-fired plant would create pollution. They
also worry about the draining of available water resources. 

Sempra, which announced plans to build the $2-bil plant in 2004, hopes to
start construction in 2007. The pulverized coal plant will use Powder River
Basin coal. The first unit would come on line in 2010 followed by the second
unit in 2011.

This story was originally published in Platts Electricity Alert
http://www.electricityalert.platts.com

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