500-MW Baseload Coal Project

Burns & McDonnell performed environmental permitting and licensing associated with a new 500-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant at the Weston Power Plant. The primary service was the preparation of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) application that is submitted to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin for approval of the project and the air permitting process.

The CPCN application addressed both a preferred and alternate site, including assessment of a 2.5-mile natural gas pipeline corridor. The CPCN application required a number of field surveys, including: bathymetric mapping, discharge plume modeling, noise study, habitat survey and wetland survey. Other services associated with the CPCN application included: data collection from local municipalities, preparation of figures using GIS, socioeconomic assessment, natural resources analysis and preparation of the application.

Air permits for both the preferred and alternate sites were prepared by Burns & McDonnell and included air dispersion modeling, agency consultation and permit preparation. The Best Available Control Technology (BACT) analysis was also prepared by Burns & McDonnell and was defended in court by experienced Burns & McDonnell air permitting and air quality control engineers.

• Air permitting
• CPCN application
• Engineering plan
• Bathymetric mapping
• Discharge plume mapping and modeling
• FAA/WDOT notifications
• GIS services
• Habitat survey
• High capacity dewatering permits
• Hydrostatic discharge permits
• Noise monitoring and modeling
• Permitting
• River basin water loss approval
• Wetland survey
• WPDES construction permit
• WPDES industrial discharge permit

Before submittal of the CPCN application, an engineering plan was submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to determine permitting requirements for the project.

Other permitting services associated with the project included: FAA/WDOT notifications; high capacity dewatering well permits; hydrostatic discharge permits and river basin water loss approval; WDNR chapter 30 permits; WPDES industrial discharge permits and WPDES construction permits. Plume modeling to provide potential impacts from the on-site cooling water tower plume was performed.