This Notice serves to provide the public notification that the NYS DEC will hold public comment hearings on August 24 and 26, 2021 as described below.
Project Description:
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), as lead agency, has determined that the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS), and applications for draft Title IV and Title V air permits, draft Industrial SPDES permit modification and water withdrawal for the proposed Astoria Replacement Project (Replacement Project), are complete for the purposes of public review and comment. The existing Facility currently consists of 31 older, peaking-only gas and oil-fired CTs including 24 Pratt & Whitney (P&W) turbines and seven retired Westinghouse turbines, with a combined nameplate rating of 646 MWe (502 MWe not including the retired Westinghouse turbines). The proposed Replacement Project, as modified, will replace the nearly 50-year-old P&W and Westinghouse turbines at the Facility with a new state-of-the art simple cycle dual-fuel peaking CTG. The proposed Replacement Project will include a new CTG which will be a highly efficient, quick start, fast-ramping, General Electric (GE) H-Class 7HA.03 or equivalent unit that has a nominal generator output of approximately 437 MWe. The new CTG will fire natural gas as the primary fuel with limited ultra-low sulfur distillate (ULSD) liquid fuel for backup. The proposed Replacement Project will also include a ULSD-fired emergency generator, and two ULSD-fired emergency fire water pumps. All of the existing units, with the exception of one P&W Twin Pac (consisting of two combustion turbines and a single generator), will be permanently shut down once the proposed Replacement Project has completed its shakedown period. The two remaining P&W turbines will remain operational to make the site black-start capable until replaced by an approximately 24 MWe battery energy storage system. The P&W Twin Pac uses natural gas as its primary fuel with ultra-low sulfur kerosene (ULSK) as backup. Make up water will be sourced from existing connections to the New York City water supply. No water will be withdrawn from the East River. Construction will require dewatering of the project site. The dewatering will involve the withdrawal of approximately 0.7 MGD of groundwater. The groundwater will be treated and ultimately discharged via existing outfall 001.
Written Comments:
All written comments concerning the draft air permits must be submitted to the NYS DEC Contact Person listed below by September 13, 2021. Comments sent by regular mail must be postmarked no later than September 13, 2021. E-mail and Fax comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. (EDT), September 13, 2021. All written comments regarding the permit applications, proposed draft permits, fact sheets and SDEIS submitted by e-mail should be sent to: comment.nrgastoriagas@dec.ny.gov.
Public Comment Hearings:
Virtual Public Comment Hearings:
Virtual public comment hearing sessions will be conducted electronically before ALJ McBride through the Webex Events electronic webinar platform. The virtual sessions will begin at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on August 24, 2021. Instructions for attending and providing oral statements at the virtual public comment hearing sessions may be accessed at the NYS DEC's website at: https://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6061.html. Persons who wish to receive the instructions by mail or telephone may contact the NYS DEC Office of Hearings and Mediation Services by telephone at (518) 402-9003 or by email to ohms@dec.ny.gov. Please provide your first and last name, address, and telephone number and reference the Astoria Gas Turbine Power Replacement Project public comment hearing.
All persons, organizations, corporations, or government agencies which may be affected by the proposed project are invited to attend the public comment hearings and to submit oral or written comments. It is not necessary to speak at both the virtual and in-person hearing sessions, as equal weight is given to statements made in each forum.
Lengthy statements should be in writing and summarized for oral presentation. Reasonable time limits may be set for each speaker to afford everyone an opportunity to be heard. Equal weight will be given to both oral and written statements. Interpreter services shall be made available to deaf persons, and translator services shall be made available to persons with limited English proficiency, at no charge for either service, upon written request to the ALJ at least 10 days prior to the hearing. Requests should be submitted to ALJ Molly T. McBride, NYS DEC - Office of Hearings and Mediation Services, 625 Broadway, Albany, New York 12233-1550 or by e-mail to ohms@dec.ny.gov.
Interpretation will be available in the following languages:
Arabic: Call 518-549-0500 and use access code 90717663
Bengali: Call 518-549-0500 and use access code 90732369
Greek: Call 518-549-0500 and use access code 90704084
Spanish: Call 518-549-0500 and use access code 96509638
American Sign Language: Instructions for viewing the ASL interpreter will be given at the start of the hearing.
Contact: Christopher Hogan, NYS DEC - Division of Environmental Permits, 625 Broadway, 4th Floor, Albany, NY 12233-1750 , Phone: (518) 402-9167, Fax: (518) 402-9168, E-mail: comment.nrgastoriagas@dec.ny.gov
