Facility Siting

TC+ES staff have worked on the siting of more than 2,000 MW of solar, geothermal, biomass, gas, and coal-fired electricity-generating facilities, playing a variety of technical roles and serving as expert witnesses on widely divergent topics such as demand forecasting, visual and noise mitigation, environmental justice, and climate change mitigation.

Our facility siting experience includes:

Serving as the primary expert witness on environmental justice for the applicant, AES Corp., in the Hunters Point siting proceeding in San Francisco, California. Environmental justice was the primary issue facing the facility in the California Energy Commission's (CEC) administrative review.

Writing the "Alternatives" chapter for several Application for Site Certifications (AFCs) filed with the CEC. TC+ES staff wrote data responses on the alternatives issue and provided analytical review of CEC staff treatment of alternatives in multiple cases.

Writing the "Need" chapter for several AFCs before the CEC. TC+ES staff wrote data responses on the issue of "need," provided analytical review of CEC staff treatment of demand conformance in multiple cases, and developed cross-referenced databases for evidentiary administrative hearings.

Writing Research, Development, and Demonstration (RD&D) plans for Texaco's Coolwater and Kerr McGee's Argus projects as part of the CEC siting process. This process required developing advanced expertise in circulating fluidized bed and gasification technologies, two leading clean-coal technologies. TC+ES managed regulatory negotiations with CEC staff on the subject of Texaco's RD&D status.

Managing Texaco's RD&D cost-benefit case in front of the CEC as part of the Coolwater siting application. TC+ES staff conducted extensive research into the incorporation of technology externality values into project economics in arguing that Texaco should receive better avoided cost contract terms from the contracting utility.

Managing the climate change mitigation case for the City of Klamath Falls' cogeneration project in front of the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council in 1996. TC+ES staff worked with the City's attorneys to educate them on key issues in the contested case proceeding, wrote extensive testimony, served as expert witnesses in the proceeding, responded to more than 800 data requests, and helped the City win the valuable "exemption from need" that was the heart of the proceeding. TC+ES's winning portfolio in the case ended up costing the City of Klamath Falls less than $1/ton CO₂e.