Construction could begin next spring with a 2015 completion date.
Matthew A. Palmer, chief operating officer of EMI Power System makes a point during an editorial board meeting at The Republican in Springfield earlier this week.WESTFIELD - The Pioneer Valley Energy Center expects to complete its permit process, clearing the way for construction of its proposed $400 million natural gas-fired electric generating plant here by February allowing construction to begin in the spring.
Project manager Matthew A. Palmer said he is awaiting a draft air quality permit and schedule for public hearing from the federal Environmental Protection Agency. That hearing is expected within the next 30 to 60 days, he predicted.
Also, PVEC must apply for a federal Natural Heritage Permit because the 36-acre construction site, located off Ampad Way includes habitat of the endangered Eastern box turtle.
Those are the final permits needed before construction can begin, he said. The natural heritage permit will be requested after any appeals to the permit process are completed, said Palmer.
Palmer met recently with the Republican Editorial Board to dispute claims of the Westfield Concerned Citizens, a group of residents opposed to the plant. That group held a demonstration across from Southampton Road Elementary School earlier this month to continue its claim that the plant, when operational, will create additional air pollution and add to truck traffic congestion in the city's northside area.
The group has opposed the plant since it was first proposed in late 2007, and its leader Mary Ann Babinski said a petition, now signed by more than 500 city residents in opposition, will be sent to company officials asking that they "scrape" the proposal.
The group had appealed the Massachusetts Environmental Agency's issuance of an air quality permit to PVEC but that appealed was rejected last month.
Palmer said the state's decision "demonstrates that our plant will be the cleanest, most efficient facility of its kind in New England. Our air quality permit has been thoroughly reviewed and found to be solid. We meet or exceed all environmental requirements."
The pending federal air quality permit is similar to the state environmental revies.
Palmer also noted that similar existing plants, such as in Agawam and Dighton are located in residential zones near schools, "have experienced no environmental issues.
"We meet the regulatiopns and it is hard to understand the basis for our opponents who claim this will impact on air quality," said Palmer.
Pioneer Valley Energy had hoped to open the plant in 2012, but construction has been delayed because of the permit process and the downturn in the economy. Palmer and company officials are currently working to secure the necessary financing for construction and agreements for the sale of electricity to area municipalities and other potential customers.
The plant will create an estimated 200 construction jobs and about 16 full-time positions to operate it once it becomes operational.
PVEC has all local permits in hand and a property tax agreement with Westfield that will provide more than $40 million in tax revenue to the city over its first 20-years of operation. Unique to this project, PVEC will begin paying property taxes after construction begins rather than after the plant is operational.
PVEC will purchase its natural gas from Westfield Gas and Electric Department.
Water needed to cool the plant will be purchased from Holyoke's Water Department. It already has an agreement to purchase an estimated 2 million gallons a day and whill pay Holyoke about $480,000 annually. The water will be drawn from Holyoke's Tighe-Carmody Reservoir located in Southampton.
Palmer said that water will also be connected to a generator that will produce about 30 killowatts of electricity. The plant, itself, will be designed to generate 400 million watts of electricity annually.