Noise Simulation Information

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Updated

(5/8/08)

PEAKER EXPANSION AND

OTHER MYTHS WE'VE HEARD

Although the level portion of the substation site is large enough for two LM6000 peakers, SDG&E and Wellhead in their Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with Ladera Hope have made a legal settlement offer that specifically addressed no further expansion of peaking capacity, i.e. no additional peakers.  This is an unprecedented offer by a public utility.

For a copy of the MOU between Ladera Hope, SDG&E and Wellhead, please click here.  The MOU was amended one time, mostly to give the parties more time to discuss settlement.  For a copy of the first amendment to the MOU, please click here.

SDG&E and Wellhead are installing a bigger natural gas pipeline than the peaker will need.  Doesn’t that prove that SDG&E and Wellhead are planning to install multiple peakers?

Sizing of natural gas pipelines is both an engineering and economics exercise.  Although a smaller pipe size could serve the peaker, it would come at the expense of higher operating and equipment costs, i.e. it’s better to buy a slightly larger pipe requiring less compression at the peaker inlet.  Wellhead and So Cal Gas have determined that an 8-inch diameter natural gas pipeline is optimal for the single LM6000 installation.  

Sizing of natural gas pipelines is a function of the quantity of gas required, the size of the pipe, the pressure inside the pipe and acceptable pressure losses. In general, the lower the pressure, the larger the pipe must be.  So Cal Gas indicates low supply pressures, relative to the gas turbine’s inlet pressure requirement, will serve the peaker, as low as 175 psig. As a result, a somewhat larger pipe will be required.  If Ladera Hope accepts our settlement offer, no additional peaker facilities, or expansion of the first peaker, would be allowed.

Since Ladera Hope has ended the settlement discussions, does that mean the offer of no further expansion of the peaker is “off the table?”

No, SDG&E and Wellhead’s offer of no further expansion of the peaker is still available at this time.  However if the lawsuit continues and there is significant delay in the process, Wellhead and SDG&E cannot guarantee that the Public Utilities Commission will allow this limitation on land use due to the scarcity of energy.  If no further expansion of the peaker is important to you, let Ladera Hope know that you want them to settle.

The California Energy Commission has said this peaker is not needed.

This peaker is needed more than ever as there is a critical need for this type of resource.  Please view  this recent NBC news report covering America's, and more specifically Southern California's, need for additional energy infrastructure.  Also, the regulatory entity responsible for keeping the lights on is the California ISO, not the California Energy Commission. On April 28, 2008, the California ISO released its Summer 2008 Assessment. The outlook is very bad for southern California (SP26)…take a look for yourself at (Figure 3, page 5)  http://www.caiso.com/1fb7/1fb7855eed50.pdf

Peaker smoke will be visible for miles around.

There will be NO smoke coming from the peaker.  Just as there is no smoke from the vents of your furnaces and water heaters, the peaker stack emissions are colorless and odorless.

The Peaker makes loud noises that we will be able to hear from our homes.

At a distance of 100 feet, Ladera Hope’s sound consultant measured a nearly identical peaker’s noise level at 70 decibels during full-load operations, with an initial popping noise of 85 decibels at start-up.  To date, we’ve been unable to locate any residence where the operating noise level of 70 dBA is discernable, as evidenced by our noise simulation on Friday, May 9th and Saturday, May 10th.  Read the blog by Jubal of "Red County Magazine", who was present for the simulation.

A silencer, or muffler, is included in Wellhead’s peaker design and was not a design feature included on the peaker visited by Ladera Hope.  The specified silencer will cause a net reduction in noise level from the popping of 35-40 dBA, i.e. from 85 dBA down to 45-50 dBA.  This 45-50 dBA level is below the 70 dBA operating level simulated during the test, and as such, will not be discernable.

Thank you to those residents who contacted us about suspected peaker noise and those who came to the site to view the simulation.  We attempted to visit each location where suspected noise was reported, but in some cases were not given enough detailed information to allow a visit.  By using an iterative technique (sound on, sound off, sound on) with visited residents, we were able to demonstrate that the source of the noise being reported was not the simulation.  Again, thank you to all who participated.

Call our hotline at 949.489.2700, ext. 202 or email us at margaritaenergy@wellhead.com