Public Comment Sought on Jordan Cove Energy Project’s Request for Exemption
Project Seeks Exemption from Requirement to Obtain a Site Certificate from the Energy Facility Siting Council
Contact: Rachel Wray, 503-689-0294
SALEM — The Oregon Department of Energy today announced that it is seeking public comments on a request from the Jordan Cove Energy Project for an exemption from the requirement to obtain a state-issued certificate to generate electricity.
Oregon’s Energy Facility Siting Council is responsible for authorizing energy facilities that are subject to state jurisdiction. While the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has jurisdiction over the proposed Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas export facility and an associated pipeline, the facility also includes specific energy generating components that fall under Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council jurisdiction.
The proposed Jordan Cove facility includes three 30-megawatt steam turbine generators that will provide electrical power to the surrounding liquefied natural gas terminal. The Energy Facility Siting Council has jurisdiction over electric power generation facilities with a capacity of 25 megawatts or more. Because the Jordan Cove Energy Project will produce electricity over this threshold, it must seek either permission to operate, which is granted in the form of a site certificate issued by the Council, or an exemption from a site certificate, based on specific criteria outlined in state law, which also must be approved by the Council.
The company’s application for an exemption is available online for public review and comment. Public comments submitted by the August 13, 2018, deadline will be used by Oregon Department of Energy staff, who will develop a recommendation, known as a Proposed Order, for Council’s consideration. The Proposed Order – which will analyze Jordan Cove’s request and state law that describes when exemptions are allowed – will recommend either approving or denying the exemption request. Public comments will also inform Energy Facility Siting Council members as they consider Jordan Cove’s request for an exemption and staff’s recommendation.
The Jordan Cove project is subject to federal jurisdiction and numerous state permitting processes, many of which are underway. For this comment period through the Oregon Department of Energy, only comments related to the exemption request can be considered by the Council for their determination. The Oregon Department of Energy hosts a project dashboard where Oregonians can find out the latest on other review and approval processes.
The process to obtain an exemption from a site certificate gives Oregon Department of Energy staff 45 days to review the request to determine if it’s complete. If the application is complete, staff must provide a recommendation to Council within 60 days after that determination. Oregon Department of Energy staff anticipate that the Energy Facility Siting Council will discuss the request and the staff recommendation at its September 27-28, 2018, meeting, which will be held in Coos Bay.
Written comments, due by August 13, 2018, can be submitted to:
Sean Mole, Federal Projects Coordinator Oregon Department of Energy 550 Capitol St. NE Salem, OR 97301 Email: Jordancove.comment@oregon.gov
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