Docket Number
06-AFC-09
Capacity
660 MW
Location
Colusa County
Technology
Combined Cycle
Project Status
Operational (Natural Gas-Fired)
Project Type
Application for Certification
Project Description

The Colusa Generating Station (CGS) is located in the unincorporated portion of Colusa County, approximately 6 miles north of the community of Maxwell, on a 100-acre parcel that is leased from the 4,800-acre Holthouse Ranch property, approximately 14 miles north of Williams and 4 miles west of Interstate 5.

CGS is a nominal 660-megawatt natural gas-fired, dry-cooled, combined-cycle electric generating facility, consisting of two General Electric (GE) Power Systems Frame 7FA combustion turbine generators equipped with dry, low-NOx combustors designed for natural gas. Included are two multi-pressure heat recovery steam generators (HRSG) with duct burners and a selective catalytic reduction system (to be used with aqueous ammonia) and equipped with an oxidation catalyst to control volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide emissions, one steam turbine generator system with multi-cell, air-cooled condenser and associated auxiliary system and equipment, and a 1,000-kilowatt standby diesel generator for extended utility outages during maintenance and shutdowns.

Water for the project is provided by the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District (GCID) via the Tehama-Colusa Canal (TCC), which is located to the west of the project site. CGS uses a Zero Liquid Discharge wastewater system which recovered the water from the combustion turbine generator’s evaporative coolers for reuse in the plant, and the remaining salts are concentrated for disposal off site. Air emissions from the facility are controlled using Best Available Control Technology with air pollution credits obtained from the Colusa County Air Pollution Control District.

The facility is interconnected to the nearby existing electrical infrastructure owned by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). The electrical switchyard and transmission facilities allow delivery of the power plant’s output to PG&E’s existing Cottonwood to Vaca-Dixon 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission corridor located approximately 1,800 feet east of the project site.

On April 2014, the California Energy Commission approved a Post-Certification Amendment (TN 202974) to construct an approximately 0.86-mile back-up water supply pipeline from Glen Colusa Canal, owned by the GCID, to the CGS. The back-up water supply pipeline transports GCID water allocated to the CGS when there is insufficient water in the TCC for use by CGS. The back-up water supply pipeline eliminates the need for trucking the water to the site, as approved under an emergency amendment petition approved in April 2014.

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

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 (06-AFC-09)

Exhibit List

Proof of Service List

Search All Power Plant Documents

Contacts

Project Manager

Anwar Ali
CME@energy.ca.gov
(Please enter project name in the email subject line)
916-698-7498

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

Subscribe Colusa Generating Station

Automated Email Notifications