NEVCO/Sevier Power to Start Over: Plans for Natural Gas Plant in the Works

NEVCO/Sevier Power plans to cancel its beleaguered and controversial plans for a coal-fired power plant near Sigurd, and start over — with plans for a natural gas plant instead.

In a county commission meeting on Monday, the company indicated that it wanted to explore various options, but wasn’t ready to put forward specifics. Commissioners asked NEVCO to provide a letter in the coming month indicating their plans to move forward.

Privately, however, several reliable sources indicated to Ideal Living that a gas power plant was in the works, as reported here previously.

On March 2, the Salt Lake Tribune confirmed those reports with Bruce Taylor of NEVCO.

Taylor told the Tribune that NEVCO was busy “‘crunching the numbers’ to determine if changing the fuel for the proposed 270-megawatt power plant makes economic sense.”

“There is a lot of opposition to coal and lot more acceptance of natural gas,” Taylor said. “You’ve had 106 planned coal-fired plants taken off the table just this last year alone.  It is like what happened to the nuclear power industry.”

Natural gas plants are said to burn cleanly — eliminating health concerns brought on by coal-fired power plants — although they are said to use more water than coal plants.

Dick Cumiskey, the new director of Sevier Citizens for Clean Air and Water, which has opposed the plans for a coal-fired plant, said of the new plans,

“You still have the issue, though, that they want to build that plant within 1¾ miles of 183 homes.

“So some people might not any longer be opposed to the plant per se, but still be against it because of the location…

“The nearest natural gas line is around 35 miles away from their property.  It is going to be a big challenge for them.”

The full article in the Salt Lake Tribune may be read here:  http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_14500137

In other developments on the NEVCO project, a few days ago, the Utah Division of Natural Resources approved deals for over 260 acre feet of water intended for use at the proposed coal plant. The approval comes with numerous conditions, however.  It is unclear if the decision would be effected by the change of plans for its use.   The 10-page decision is available here.

However, an objection was filed by the Vermillion Irrigation Company a few days later. The Department of Natural Resources decision will now be “reconsidered” over the coming month.

The announcement that the decision is to be reconsidered is available here (tif format).