Thursday, July 12, 2001
Beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Benicia Public Library, Dona Benicia Meeting Room
150 East L Street
Benicia, California

The Informational Hearing will be preceded by a Site Visit during daylight hours, at 5:00 p.m. at the Valero Benicia Refinery. Persons intending to attend the Site Visit should gather at the Valero Benicia Refinery (3400 E. Second St, Benicia) parking lot. The Applicant will provide bus transportation and guides within its Refinery property.

Persons intending to attend the Site Visit should make a reservation for bus transportation with the Commission’s Public Adviser at 916-654-4489 or toll free at 800-822-6228 or via e-mail pao@energy.state.ca.us not later than Monday, July 9, 2001.

On May 7, 2001, Valero Cogeneration Project (VCP), wholly owned by Valero Refining Company, Benicia CA., filed an Application for Certification (01-AFC-5) seeking approval from the California Energy Commission (Energy Commission) a 4-month, expedited review to construct and operate the Valero Cogeneration Project. The site is located at the existing Valero Benicia refinery.

VCP will be a nominal 102 megawatts (MW) cogeneration power plant. The proposed facility will include two combustion turbine generators equipped with water injection to control oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions and associated support equipment.

The project will be visually compatible with the existing refining equipment in the adjacent areas. The power plant area will be accessed via the existing roads and streets within the refinery. The power plant will consist of a two GE gas turbines (LM6000 - PC Sprint) with chillers, fuel gas compression facilities, power generators, heat recovery steam generators (HRSG), SCRs for emission control, and associated instrumentation, piping, and wiring. The produced power will be conveyed about 2,000 feet through underground cables to the new Valero switch house within the refinery at a voltage of 12 kilovolt. As a result of this project, the refinery will not need power currently provided from the California electrical grid.

In order to assist participants in understanding the project, the Commission Staff will prepare and file by June 22, 2001 an Issue Identification Report summarizing the potential major issues in the proceeding. Copies of this document may be obtained by calling the Commission’s Project Manager at (916) 653-0062 or through the Commission’s Web Site.

The environmental and engineering details of the proposed project are contained in the Application for Certification (AFC). Copies of the AFC are available locally at Benicia Public Library 150 East L Street, Benicia, CA; Solano County Library 1150 Kentucky Street, Fairfield, CA & Suisun City Library 333 Sunset, Suite 280, Suisun, CA .

Members of the public may participate in all phases of the licensing process in a variety of ways. If you need information concerning public participation, please contact Roberta Mendonca, the Energy Commission’s Public Adviser, at 916-654-4489 or, toll free in California, at 800-822-6228, or by e-mail at: pao@energy.state.ca.us

Information concerning the status of the project, notices and other relevant documents are available on the Commission’s Web Site at:
www.energy.ca.gov/sitingcases/valero

If you require special accommodation to participate in the Informational Hearing and/or Site Visit, please contact Robert Sifuentes at least five (5) days before the hearing at 916-654-5004 or email at: rsifuent@energy.state.ca.us

Technical questions concerning the project should be addressed to the Energy Commission Staff’s Project Manager, Jack Caswell, at 916-653-0062 or e-mail at: jcaswell@energy.state.ca.us

Questions of a legal or procedural nature should be directed to Garret Shean, the Hearing Officer, at 916-654-3893 or e-mail at: gshean@energy.state.ca.us

Media inquiries should be directed to Claudia Chandler, Assistant Executive Director for Media and Public Communications, at 916-654-4989 or by
e-mail at: energia@energy.ca.gov