Project Owner
Chevron Holdings, Inc.
Docket Number
84-AFC-06
Capacity
300 MW
Location
Kern County
Technology
Cogeneration
Project Status
Operational (Natural Gas-Fired)
Project Type
Application for Certification
Project Description

The Sycamore Cogeneration Facility (SCF) is located approximately five miles north of the city of Bakersfield, and five miles east of State Route 99 in the Kern River oilfields in Kern County.

SCF is a nominal 300-megawatt (MW) cogeneration facility that provides electrical generation to the grid and process steam to the nearby Chevron oilfields. SCF consists of four (4) 75 MW natural-gas fired General Electric Frame 7EA combustion turbines equipped with enhanced Dry Low NOx (DLN1 +) combustors, four (4) unfired heat recovery steam generators, each capable of generating up to 450,000 pounds per hour (lb/hr) of steam for delivery to the adjacent oilfield operator for use in enhanced oil recovery and ancillary equipment.

On December 1, 2004, the California Energy Commission (CEC) approved a Post-Certification Amendment (TN 32883) to allow SCF to operate two of the four turbines in either cogeneration or simple cycle mode and to eliminate the twenty-year expiration of the license. This allows the Sycamore Cogeneration Company to respond to the current electricity market and respond to a decline for steam demand from the adjacent oilfields. It gives the project more flexibility to operate in simple cycle mode because an unforeseen decline in steam demand since certification has reduced the need to operate in cogeneration mode.

  • Order Approving Purchase of Kit Fox Habitat by The California Nature Conservancy, Not in Docket, 01/06/1988, Order No. 88-0106-01, Commission approval to purchase habitat using monies from the Sycamore-San Joaquin Kit Fox Preserve Fund as outlined in Biological Resources Condition 5.
  • Order Approving Establishment of the Sycamore-San Joaquin Kit Fox Preserve Fund and Associated Changes to Biological Resources Condition No. 5 and Procedures Governing Disbursement of Funds, TN 214808, 12/15/2016, Order No. 88-0106-06, Approval to establish a Special Deposit Fund Account, Sycamore-san Joaquin Kit Fox Preserve Fund, with the Department of Finance. The fund will be used for the purchase of land as habitat compensation for all unmitigated impacts of the Sycamore Cogeneration Project. Changes to Biological Resources Condition No. 5 are approved in order to establish a special fund deposit account with the Department of Finance.
  • Order Approving Funding for the Purchase Of Carrizo Plain Preserve by the Nature Conservancy, TN 214809, 12/15/2016, Order No. 88-0120-03, Commission approval of funding for the purchase of a Carrizo Plain preserve by the Nature Conservancy using monies from the Sycamore-San Joaquin Kit Fox Preserve Fund as outlined in Biological Resources Condition 5.
  • Order Approving Purchase of Kit Fox Habitat by the California Nature Conservancy, TN 214810, 12/15/2016, Order No. 88-1116-01, Commission approval to purchase habitat using monies from the Sycamore-San Joaquin Kit Fox Preserve Fund as outlined in Biological Resources Condition 5.
  • Order Approving Amendments to Air Quality Conditions of Certification Nos. 4 & 19 Pertaining to KCAPCDs Determination of Compliance, TN 214822, 12/15/2016, Order No. 89-0104-05a, Commission approval to modify emission sampling limits and alignment of compliance testing requirements with KCAPCD Policy/Procedure E1801.
  • Order Approving Purchase of Kit Fox Habitat by the California Nature Conservancy, TN 214811, 12/15/2016, Order No. 90-0117-08a, Commission approval of funding for the purchase of two additional parcels as nature preserve locations in the Semitropic Ridge area of Kern County by the Nature Conservancy using monies from the Sycamore-San Joaquin Kit Fox Preserve Fund as outlined in Biological Resources Condition 5.
  • Order Approving Modification of the Project Design, TN 214814, 12/15/2016, Order No. 90-0328-11d, Commission approval to modify project design to accommodate TCAP's increase in personnel sec has identified the need for expansion of the existing parking lot at the Sycamore Administration Building in the Kern River Oil Field.
  • Order Approving Modification of Air Quality Conditions of Certification 1-9, 1-10 and 1-11, TN 214815, 12/15/2016, Order No. 90-0620-21b, Commission approval to modify AQ conditions of certification to alleviate requiring field-wide steam generator shutdowns during periods of individual turbine shutdown at sycamore, such as during scheduled turbine maintenance, forced outages, etc.
  • Order Approving Purchase of Kit Fox Habitat by the California Nature Conservancy, TN 214823, 12/15/2016, Order No. 90-1212-18d, Commission approval to purchase five additional parcels as nature preserve locations in the Semitropic Ridge area of Kern County.
  • Order Approving the Modification of the Project Design and the Addition of a new Biology Condition of Certification, TN 214817, 12/15/2016, Order No. 91-0417-03d, Commission approval to expand its existing administration building, construct a new 10,000 square foot maintenance shop, and to add a new Biological Resources condition of certification.
  • Order Approving Amendments to the Project Description and Cultural & Biological Conditions of Certification and Engineering LORS, TN 214818, 12/15/2016, Order No. 91-1120-04b, Commission approval to install and operate a second natural gas pipeline that will connect both the Sycamore and the Kern River cogeneration projects to a second natural gas source provided by the Mojave/Kern River interstate natural gas supply line. Also, to modify Cultural and Biological Resources conditions of certification and Engineering LORS.
  • Order Approving Endowment Request by the California Nature Conservancy, TN 214816, 12/15/2016, Order No. 92-0122-03, Commission approval of the establishment of the endowment in the amount of $900,000.00 for release to The Nature Conservancy from the Commission controlled Special Deposit Funds. An amount of $670,826 shall be provided from the Sycamore-San Joaquin Kit Fox Preserve Account and an amount of $229,174.00 from the Midway-Sunset special wildlife Habitat Preservation Fund account.
  • Order Approving the Modification of the Project Design, TN 214821, 12/15/2016, Order No. 92-0812-07b, Commission approval to modify the project design by expanding its existing parking area by approximately 34,000 square feet to accommodate an increase in personnel.
  • Order Approving Modification of Air Quality Conditions of Certification 1-9(a-d), 1-10 & 1-11, TN 214819, 12/15/2016, Order No. 93-0908-08a, Commission approval to modify Air Quality conditions of certification to accommodate the fact that oil field steam generator backup is not necessary.
  • Order Approving Amendments to the Air Quality Conditions of Certification, TN 214820, 12/15/2016, Order No. 94-1214-13f, Commission approval to modify AQ conditions of certification for consistency with the air district, to reflect a change in operating strategy, to cease ambient air quality monitoring, and to reflect the change in air districts from Kern County Air Pollution Control District to the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District.
  • Approval of Change in the Design of the Steam Injection Well Pipeline, Not in Docket, 05/01/1996, Staff approval of the change to the design of the steam injection well pipeline.
  • Order Approving Purchase of Kit Fox Habitat by the Center for Natural Lands Management, TN 2828, 06/20/1996, Order No. 96-0619-01h, Commission approval to acquire additional acreage as a nature preserve located in the Lokern Preserve area of Kern County.
  • Order Approving Change in NOx Emission Limit in Condition AQ-19, TN 9175, 08/16/1998, Order No. 98-0729-03, Commission approval of a change in NOx emission limit in the condition of certification AQ-19.
  • Order Approving Amendment to Modify Biological Exclusion Zone Requirements, TN 9430, 09/15/1998, Order No. 98-0909-08, Commission approval to modify Biological Resources Condition 2, part "h" pertaining to maintenance of exclusion zones established to protect San Joaquin kit dens for the life of the project.
  • Order Approving a Petition to Amend Transmission Line System Engineering Conditions of Certification, TN 214807, 12/15/2016, Order No. 00-0112-07, Commission approval to modify TLSE conditions of certification to remove the maximum power transport limitations for the Sycamore to Omar Hill and the Omar Hill to Magunden transmission lines. Under the deregulated California power market, the limits are no longer required.
  • Order Approving a Petition to Amend Air Quality Condition of Certification, TN 13821, 03/17/2000, Order No. 00-0209-04, Commission approval to modify the condition of certification AQ-5.
  • Order Approving Operation in Company Either Cogeneration or Simple Cycle Mode, and Extending the License to Operate, TN 32883, 12/06/2004, Order No. 04-1201-03, Commission approval to operate two of the four turbines in either cogeneration or simple cycle mode and to eliminate the twenty-year expiration of the license.
  • Notice of Insignificant Project Change to Allow Either Simple Cycle or Cogeneration Operation of Units 2 and 3, TN 37387, 07/12/2006, Staff approval to operate combustion turbine Units 2 and 3 in either simple cycle mode (i.e., without the cogeneration of steam) or in the current cogeneration configuration.
  • Order Approving Petition to Install Enhanced Dry Low NOx Combustors, TN 46464, 05/23/2008, Order No. 08-0521-03, Commission approval to install enhanced dry low NOx combustors and modify the condition of certification AQ-19.
  • Order Approving a Petition to Modify Air Quality Conditions of Certification to Include 12-hour Start-up Period, TN 63011, 12/01/2011, Order No. 11-1130-05, Commission approval to modify the condition of certifications AQ18 and AQ-19 to include 12-hour startup period.
  • Order Approving Transfer of Ownership to Chevron Power Holdings Inc., TN 207033, 12/15/2015, Order No. 15-1209-01a, Commission approval of ownership transfer from Sycamore Cogeneration Company to Chevron Power Holdings lnc.
  • Disposition of Environmentally Sensitive Areas, TN 214545, 11/22/2016, Staff approval to remove a number of marked environmentally sensitive areas associated with the Sycamore Cogeneration Facility.

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 (84-AFC-06)

Exhibit List

Proof of Service List

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Contacts

Project Manager

John Heiser
CME@energy.ca.gov
(Please enter project name in the email subject line)
916-628-5566

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916-957-7910

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