Project Owner
AltaGas Blythe Energy
Docket Number
99-AFC-08
Capacity
520 MW
Location
Riverside County
Technology
Combined Cycle
Project Status
Operational (Natural Gas-Fired)
Project Type
Application for Certification
Project Description

The Blythe Energy Project (BEP) is located in the city of Blythe, eastern Riverside County, approximately 5 miles from downtown Blythe.

BEP is a nominal 520-megawatt combined-cycle, natural gas-fired facility consisting of two combustion turbine generators, Units 1 and 2. The project incorporates selective catalytic reduction to reduce project emissions. Associated facilities include a 600-foot, 160/230 kilovolt electric overhead transmission line that interconnects to Western Area Power Administration’s (Western) existing Blythe Substation; a 0.8-mile natural gas fuel supply line that connects with the SoCal Gas Pipeline and an 11.5-mile natural gas fuel supply line that connects with the El Paso Gas Facility in Ehrenberg, Arizona; and onsite water supply wells and wastewater evaporation ponds.

BEP is directly connected to the Buck Boulevard Substation, owned by Western, which in turn is connected to the Blythe Substation and the Southern California Edison Company transmission system via the Metropolitan Water District’s Julian Hinds Substation.

On October 11, 2006, the California Energy Commission (CEC) approved a Post-Certification Amendment (TN 38159) for the 67-mile 230-kV generation intertie transmission line that allows BEP to deliver the full BEP electrical output to the California Independent System Operator-controlled electrical transmission system. The transmission line began operation on April 1, 2010.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and Western. BLM and Western acted as co-lead federal agency participants in the BEP transmission line amendment review process and for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance. The two federal agencies had control over portions of the existing BEP transmission system and a portion of the proposed right-of-way for the transmission lines. The CEC and BLM were notified in February 2008 that Western would no longer be a participant in the BEP transmission line project; therefore, Western no longer has an action to address under NEPA, or any other involvement with the project.

  • Approval of Request to Modify Condition of Certification AQ-17, TN 20264, 05/16/2001, Staff approval letter to modify Condition of Certification AQ-17 to require surrender of ERCs prior to commercial operation.
  • Approval of Request to Add 10 Acres to the Project Site, TN 23687, 12/21/2001, Staff approval letter to add 10 acres to the project site.
  • Notice of Insignificant Project Change for Approval of a Minor Route Realignment and Relocated Connection, Not in Docket, 06/29/2007, Staff approval of minor route realignment and relocated connection.
  • Order Approving Amendment to Add 66-acre Area for Deposit of Excess Sediments, TN 26505, 08/14/2002, Order No. 02-0814-01e, Commission approval to deposit approximately 240,000 cubic yards of fill dirt sediments on the 66 acre site adjacent and to the west of the existing BEP site.
  • Order Approving Modification of Requirements Related to PM 10 Emissions, TN 27171, 10/23/2002, Order No. 02-1023-01e, Commission approval to have the ability to reduce the project's PM 10 emission limits and quantity of emission reduction credits (ERCs) that are required to be obtained if this is justified by actual emission source tests that will occur during the initial compliance testing phase.
  • Commission Decision on Amendment Petition for a 67.4-mile Transmission Line, TN 38159, 10/11/2006, Order No. 06-1011-04, Commission approval to include a 67.4-mile transmission line to the project.
  • Approval of Verification Change to WORKER SAFETY-2, TN 49977, 04/09/2009, Staff approval to change “Start of Construction” to “Commencement of Operations” in WORKER SAFETY-2 verification.
  • Approval of Spare Transformer Installation, TN 58776, 10/13/2010, Staff approval to install a spare transformer at the project site.
  • Transfer of Operational Control to NextEra Energy Operating Services, TN 62745, Order No. 11-1102-03, Commission approval of operation control transfer from Blythe Energy, LLC to NextEra Energy Operating Services, LLC.
  • Order Approving Change of Operational Control, TN 200125, 08/08/2013, Order No. 13-0710-01g, Commission approval of operation control transfer from NextEra Energy Operating Services, LLC, to AltaGas Blythe Operations, Inc.
  • Notice of Determination for the Approval of Turndown Upgrades, TN 203503, 12/17/2014, Staff approval of gas turbine turndown upgrades (minor hardware and software changes).
  • Order Approving a Petition to Reduce Allowable Annual NOx, CO, and PM10 Emissions, TN 205374, 07/16/2015, Order No. 15-0708-04, Commission approval to reduce allowable annual NOx, CO and PM10, and Air Quality conditions of certification renumbering for consistency with District.
  • Order Approving Petition to Modify Air Quality Conditions, TN 210765, 03/17/2016, Order No. 05-0330-03, Commission approval of changes to air quality conditions of certification.
  • Order Approving Petition to Reduce PM10 and SOx Emissions, TN 211858, 06/17/2016, Order No. 16-0614-03, Commission approval to reduce hourly and annual PM10 mass emission limits, reducing the annual natural gas fuel sulfur content limit, and reducing the annual SOx mass emission limit.
  • Order Approving Petition to Remove Condition AQ-T7a, TN 222105, 01/08/2018, Order No. 17-1213-01c, Commission approval to modify existing condition of certification AQ-T7 and remove condition of certification AQ-T7a, eliminating combined annual emission limits of NOx, CO, VOC, Sox, and PM10 for BEP and BEP Phase II.
  • Statement of Staff Approval to Modify Condition AQ-T15, TN 230799, 11/20/2019, Staff approval to modify condition of certification AQ-T15 to replace requirement for characterization of VOC emissions under startup/shutdown conditions with requirement to calculate VOC emissions using CEMS.

Attention: Non-hypertext items above will need to be requested from the Project Manager listed, along with the document TN number.

Blythe Transmission Line Modification

Docket Numbers: 99-AFC-08 and 99-AFC-08C

Compliance Proceeding

Original Proceeding

Amendments

Attention: Non-hypertext items above will need to be requested from the Project Manager listed, along with the document TN number.

Power Plant Certification and Exemption Processes

The CEC has the exclusive authority to certify all thermal power plants 50 megawatts (MW) and larger and related facilities proposed for construction in California. The Application for Certification (AFC) process is a certified regulatory program under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). As a certified regulatory program, the CEC does not prepare environmental impact reports (EIRs) in an AFC proceeding, but instead prepares environmental assessment documents that are functionally equivalent to EIRs. A certificate issued by the CEC is in lieu of any permit, certificate, or similar document otherwise required by any state, local or regional agency, or federal agency to the extent permitted by federal law, and supersedes any applicable statute, ordinance, or regulation of any state, local, or regional agency, or federal agency to the extent permitted by federal law.

Original Proceeding

e-Commenting has been closed. Please submit your comments in compliance proceeding above.

Docket Log (99-AFC-08)

Exhibit List

Proof of Service List

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Contacts

Project Manager

Ashley Gutierrez
CME@energy.ca.gov
(Please enter project name in the email subject line)
916-839-0400

Public Participation Questions

Public Advisor
publicadvisor@energy.ca.gov
916-957-7910

Media Inquiries

Media & Public Communications Office
mediaoffice@energy.ca.gov
916-654-4989

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