The Department of Environmental Protection published notice in the March 28 PA Bulletin saying it is now accepting public comments on the Air Quality permits required for the Shell ethane facility in Beaver County. (PA Bulletin page 1518)
DEP will hold a public hearing on the permit on May 5 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Central Valley High School, 160 Baker Road Extension, in Monaca. Written public comments on the application are due April 27.
Polyethylene pellets will be the final manufactured product of this facility. The pellets will be produced from one of two gas phase or one slurry technology polyethylene production lines. Combined design capacity for the three polyethylene production lines will be 1.6 million metric tons of polyethylene pellets per year.
Ethylene will be manufactured on site as an intermediate product at this facility. Ethylene will be produced by cracking ethane feedstock received by pipeline. Design capacity for ethylene production will be 1.5 million metric tons per year. The ethylene will be entirely used on site as the primary feedstock for the polyethylene production lines.
Byproducts of the ethylene production process will include light gasoline, pyrolysis fuel oil, coke residue/tar, and a mixture of propane and heavier hydrocarbons.
Three combustion turbines with duct burners and heat recovery steam generators will also be located at this facility to provide electricity and steam for use on site. Total electric generating capacity will be approximately 250 MW. Excess electricity will be sold to the grid in sufficient quantities to classify this facility as an electric utility.
DEP modeling has demonstrated the facility will not cause or contribute to air pollution in violation of National Ambient Air Quality Standards for carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide or particulates.
The Department’s technical review concludes that Shell’s inhalation risk assessment was conducted according to the Department-approved protocol and is acceptable. Furthermore, the Department’s independent inhalation risk assessment concludes that chronic cancer and noncancer risks as well as acute noncancer risks do not exceed the Department’s benchmarks.
Shell’s Plan Approval application, the Department’s Air Quality Review Memorandum, and the Proposed Air Quality Plan Approval for this project are available for review by any interested party at the Department of Environmental Protection, Southwest Regional Office, 400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.
To request a review of the Shell Plan Approval Application, to receive an electronic copy of the Department’s Air Quality Review Memorandum, or to receive an electronic copy of the Department’s proposed air Quality Plan Approval for this project, a person may contact Phil Bouse at: pbouse@pa.gov or 412-442-4000.
A person may oppose the proposed plan approval by filing a written protest with the Department through Alan Binder via the U.S. Postal Service to Department of Environmental Protection, 400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15222; email to: abinder@pa.gov; or fax to 412-442-4194.
Additional written comments may also be submitted. Each protest or set of written comments must contain the name, address and telephone number of the person submitting the comments, identification of the proposed Plan Approval (PA-04-00740A) and a concise statement of the objections to the plan approval issuance and the relevant facts upon which the objections are based.
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