Client: 
Holland Board of Public Works

Location: 
Holland, Michigan

Prime Consultant:
NTH Consultants, Ltd.

Total Project Budget:
$90,000

Project Start: 
April 2013

Project Completion: 
Ongoing

NTH Value Added:
NTH’s knowledge of air permitting requirements and the permit review process enabled the Holland Board of Public Works to obtain an expedited air permit in less than six months.

Holland Energy Park Air Permitting Services

Project Overview
From its conception, Holland Energy Park has been dubbed the Resource, Destination and Gateway for the Holland Community. But it was no easy road for the staff at Holland Board of Public Works (HBPW); a process that, in fact, would span nearly ten years. What emerged was a new 114 MW natural gas combined heat and power (CHP) plant. The new CHP will provide electricity, central district heating and snowmelt for the Holland community.
  
Project Scope
NTH was retained by HBPW to prepare the permit application for the combined-cycle, cogeneration facility consisting of (2) natural gas-fired combustion turbine generators, two (2) heat recovery steam generators, a steam turbine generator, three (3) natural gas-fired auxiliary boilers, a natural gas-fired fuel dew point heater, a natural gas-fired “black start” engine, a cooling tower, an emergency diesel fire pump, condensate storage tanks, and a aqueous ammonia storage tank.
 
The facility is considered a major stationary source pursuant to Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) regulations. Control technologies on the turbines were determined through a control technology review to examine the maximum pollutant reduction and environmental impact at a feasible cost. It was determined that each turbine contain Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) to control nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and oxidation catalysts to control carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
 
NTH conducted thorough ambient impact analyses using dispersion modeling techniques to show compliance to regulated air contaminates for comparison to health based standards. The modeling demonstrated compliance to both state and federal air quality standards applicable to the project.
 
After initial review of the submittal, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) responded to the permit application with a request for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies for the energy park. NTH determined that due to the lack of supporting detail from active CCS applications and potential cost of the controls, the requested technology was not a feasible option for the Holland energy park.
 
NTH actively participated in all interactions with the MDEQ to ensure timely issuance of a permit allowing for maximum operating flexibility.
 
Ongoing Assistance
The HBPW air use permit was approved in December of 2013 and shortly thereafter began site preparation. During construction, several design changes to equipment and building parameters warranted the need to revise the permit, re-evaluate dispersion modeling, and verify that the plant would still be in compliance with all State and Federal air quality standards. NTH assisted Holland in obtaining the modified air permit. Ongoing tasks include developing of facility operating plans regarding preventative maintenance, malfunction abatement, and startup and shutdown for the major equipment. NTH is also developing the facility Renewable Operating Permit.