To issue a site certificate for a base load gas 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
345-024-0503, the Council shall
apply the standard for a non-base load power plant, as described in OAR
345-024-0590, to the incremental
carbon dioxide emissions from the designed operation of the power augmentation
technology. The Council shall determine whether the base load 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 Council shall
adopt site certificate conditions to ensure that the predicted carbon dioxide
emissions are not exceeded on a new and clean basis.
(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
345-024-0560, 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
345-024-0560(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 a gas turbine 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. In the report, the
certificate holder shall include the proposed limits on the annual average
number of hours of facility operation on distillate fuel oil, if applicable. 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 amount of greenhouse gas emissions reductions the certificate
holder must provide under OAR
345-024-0560.
Notes
Or. Admin. Code
§
345-024-0550
EFSC 2-1999, f. &
cert. ef. 4-14-99; EFSC 1-2000, f. & cert. ef. 2-2-00; EFSC 1-2003, f.
& cert. ef. 9-3-03; EFSC 1-2007, f. & cert. ef. 5-15-07; EFSC 1-2012,
f. & cert. ef. 5-15-12; EFCS 2-2013, f. & cert. ef. 9-30-13;
EFSC
1-2018, amend filed 07/18/2018, effective
7/18/2018;
EFSC
1-2022, amend filed 07/25/2022, effective
7/25/2022
Statutory/Other Authority: ORS
469.470, ORS
469.501 & ORS
469.503
Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS
469.501 & ORS
469.503
