Partly cloudy. High 82F. Winds light and variable..
A few clouds from time to time. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable.
The Greenidge power plant burned coal until its 2011 closing. The current owner of the property is converting the fuel used at the electricity-generating facility from coal to natural gas.
The Greenidge power plant burned coal until its 2011 closing. The current owner of the property is converting the fuel used at the electricity-generating facility from coal to natural gas.
TORREY — Greenidge Generation officials have applied for two permits from the state Department of Environmental Conservation allowing it to install fish screens at the source of its cooling water intake.
The company is seeking an Article 15 Title 5 Excavation & Fill in Navigable Waters permit along with water quality certification through Section 401 of the Clean Water Act.
Greenidge uses turbines to generate the electricity needed to run thousands of high-speed computers involved in the cryptocurrency mining process.
The company wants to install cylindrical wedge wire intake screens on the facility’s existing cooling water intake structure that extends 730 feet from the shoreline into Seneca Lake. The installation of the screens is a requirement of the facility’s State Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit, which was modified in 2017 as part of the DEC’s review of its cooling water intake under federal and state guidelines.
The 0.5-millimeter slot width was determined to be the best technology available to minimize fish and other aquatic life from entering the intake system.
The modified structure proposed by Greenidge consists of an intake box and six intake screens. The project would include the removal of the steel walls of the existing intake structure and replacing them with precast concrete. The screening will be 82-by-95 feet and will require hydraulic dredging of an estimated 1,100 cubic yards of materials.
The plan calls for about 200 cubic yards of coarse limestone to be placed around the intake box to stabilize the dredged area. The dredged material will be de-watered in an upland area using a filter bag within an enclosed berm area of about 15,000 square feet.
In addition, wood pilings supporting the wooden trestle that holds the 7-foot diameter cooling water intake pipe will be replaced with steel pilings.
Filed application documents and any applicable draft permits are available for inspection during normal business hours at the DEC Region 8 headquarters in Avon. It is recommended that an appointment be made with Daniel Whitehead at 518-402-9676.
The DEC has determined the project is an unlisted action and will not have a significant impact on the environment.
Public comment on the project before permits are issued must be made with Whitehead no later than Sept. 1. Mailed comments to DEC headquarters, 625 Broadway, Albany, BY 12233, or email DEPPermitting@dec.ny.gov.
On June 30, Greenidge’s application to renew its Title V air permit was denied. DEC officials said at the time the company’s proposed mitigation measures were insufficient to comply with the state’s new Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
Company officials said they would challenge the DEC ruling in court and would continue operating under their current permit until the legal challenge is resolved.
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