On February 21, 2008, Avenal Power Center, LLC (Avenal Power) filed an Application for Certification (AFC) for the Avenal Energy project (Avenal Energy). Avenal Power is seeking Energy Commission approval to construct and operate a 600-megawatt (MW) power plant in the City of Avenal in Kings County under the Energy Commission's standard 12-month power plant licensing process. Avenal Power plans to begin construction in April of 2010, with commercial operation beginning June 1, 2012. The project would be built on 25 acres of a 148-acre site that is just south of the Fresno County line, and about two miles east of Interstate 5. Although the proposed project is within City of Avenal town limits in an area zoned for industrial use, it is located approximately 6 miles from the city's residential and commercial districts. Current land use at the project site is irrigated agriculture, as is the surrounding land use.

The proposed Avenal Energy would be a combined cycle generating plant consisting of two natural gas-fired General Electric 7FA Gas Turbines with Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSG) and one General Electric Steam Turbine. Natural gas would be provided via a 2.5-mile, 20-inch underground pipeline interconnection to PG&E's natural gas pipeline transmission system at the Kettleman compressor station. The plant would use a dry cooling process to minimize water consumption. The City of Avenal would provide water to the proposed project from the city's water treatment plant adjacent to the site. Groundwater from three local wells would provide a back-up water source to the project via two separate pipelines, totaling less than 1.4-miles. The proposed project would recycle water to the maximum extent possible through the use of a zero liquid discharge system to further minimize water consumption and eliminate waste water discharge. The proposed project would be connected to the PG&E transmission grid via a 6.4-mile single-circuit 230 kV transmission line, traversing agricultural land to the Gates substation in Fresno County.

The Energy Commission's facility certification process carefully examines public health and safety, environmental impacts and engineering aspects of proposed power plants and all related facilities such as electric transmission lines, natural gas pipelines, etc. The Energy Commission is the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has a certified regulatory program under CEQA. Under its certified program, the Energy Commission is exempt from having to prepare an environmental impact report. Its certified program, however, does require environmental analysis of the project, including an analysis of alternatives and mitigation measures to minimize any significant adverse effect the project may have on the environment.

Christopher Meyer
Siting Project Manager
California Energy Commission
1516 Ninth Street, MS 2000
Sacramento, CA 95814
Tel: 916 653-1639
FAX: 916 654-3882

Public Adviser
California Energy Commission
1516 Ninth Street, MS-12
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916 654-4489
Toll-Free in California: 1-800-822-6228
E-mail: PAO@energy.state.ca.us

Susanne Garfield-Jones
Media & Public Communications Office
Phone: 916-654-4989
E-mail: mediaoffice@energy.state.ca.us