Skeptics question Chisago power plant

At first blush, a proposal for a large power plant in rural Chisago County would seem to have a lot going for it, including apparent need and general support from clean-energy interests.

[Al Frankensteinn]

So, are they just going to let them build this?

[Patsy Tollberg]

Another concern for those of us who live nearby it is that our property values will decrease significantly. How is that fair to us and will we recieve any compensation for that? Not that we have heard.

[Carol Overland]

Vaporware project. There's no market... there's no plan...

At least Wheatley admits that if they can't sell the power they won't build the plant. That's a no brainer, but they're pushing a power plant with not a single Power Purchase Agreement. At the meeting two weeks ago, Xcel's Mike Bull told the crowd they wouldn't be needing power anytime soon. When questioned by Alan Muller, Wheatley couldn't identify the turbine manufacturer, how high the stacks would be, how many, how much on site fuel oil storage there'd be. EH?? They've not been able to tell state officials any specifics either. With demand so far down, for so long, Xcel's going down since 2006, down 15% or more, it's time to start closing noxious plants, not building an 855MW gas plant. And then there's the associated transmission. Building a plant that size will require lots of big transmission, so said the studies last time someone trotted out a project like this (there have been three proposed previously). CapX 2020 has plans for a 345kV line from Chisago to Prairie Island in later Phases. Something this large could not go in without transmission. And transmission is what got this community organized, educated about energy issues. This is a vaporware project, exposed for what it is... or isn't.

[Alan Muller]

The essence is that LS Power wants to get the project approved first and disclose details--such as how much pollution there would be--later. This would be a big pig to buy in a poke.

As for Bill Glahn and his opinions: The recent "Office of Energy Security" report on energy needs was one of the worst such reports I've ever seen--dissing conservation and efficiency, identifying a need for a new coal plant .... Rubbish. Times are changing and Minnesota needs better thinking than this to plan its energy future.

[IrishMN]

Why are we wasting any time or effort on this?

If we simply look to Green Technology and sustainable energy sources, we will have no need for any mega-polluting power plants.