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Conditional Use Permit and Solid Waste Facility
Narrative
1. Application Requirements Not Affected by Requested
Renewal
Great River Energy (GRE) is requesting the renewal of the Solid Waste License and a
review of the Conditional Use permit for the Energy Recovery Station. Deb Nelson
communicated with Rebecca Haug, Elk River Environmental Administrator, who agreed
that many of the aspects of the application were not necessary. We have determined
that the following aspects will not change from the current conditions and therefore have
not included discussions of them in this application:
• Landscape Plan
• Utility Plan
• Tree Preservation Plan
• Grading/Drainage Plan
• Drainage Calculations
• Building Elevations
• Floor Plans
• Wall and Freestanding Sign Plans
• List of items/equipment/materials associated with Outdoor Storage
• Wetland Delineation
• Wetland Mitigation Plan
• EAW/EIS Requirements
If the City has any questions or concerns about the above aspects, please contact us
immediately and we will address them.
2. Description of Operations
The Elk River Campus is located in the northwest corner of the intersection of US
Highways 169 and 10. The campus consists of office buildings, warehouses,
transmission substations, the Elk River Energy Recovery Station (ERS) a waste to
energy plant, and the Elk River Peaking Station. Under State law, the peaking station is
exempt from local conditional use permits and so it is not covered by the existing
conditional use permit.
Elk River Energy Recovery Station is an electric power generating station burning RDF
as a primary fuel, TDF or tire derived fuel, and wood or wood waste as secondary or
alternate fuels. A single alternate fuel may be co-fired with the RDF or a combination of
the alternate fuels may be co-fired with the RDF. None of the alternate fuels are fired
without concurrently firing RDF. The RDF burned at this facility is currently produced
from the recently acquired processing facility, also in Elk River, several miles away. All
fuel arrives at ERS in semi trailers and is unloaded in the enclosed RDF receiving
building to the east of the plant. The facility produces approximately 40 megawatts of
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Conditional Use Permit and, Solid Waste Facility
Narrative
electricity and operates 24 hours per day. The facility is maintained and operated by 41
full-time employees.
The Combustors:
Energy is produced through combustion of the fuel in three spreader stoker-fired excess
air combustion units (combustors or boilers). The boilers are identified as emission Units
1, 2, and 3. Unit 3 is approximately twice the size of units 1 and 2. The units are 128,
128, and 268 mmBtu/hr, respectively, which equates to approximately 11.7, 11.7 and
24.4 tons of RDF per hour (a smaller feed rate-ton/hr is required when TDF is used to
supplement the fuel mix). The combustors can also burn natural gas and fuel oil. Natural
gas is used at start-up and as necessary to maintain proper combustion conditions;
distillate fuel oil is used as a backup fuel to the natural gas. The combustion units were
converted from burning coal to RDF in 1988.
Air Emissions Control equipment:
All three of the combustion units (boilers) are connected to common emissions control
equipment, which are a dry scrubber for the control of acid gasses and a baghouse for
the control of Particulate Matter (PM). The dry scrubber uses lime as a reagent in the
chemical removal of the acid gasses. The lime is unloaded pneumatically to the lime
storage silo, which is protected by a fabric filter baghouse from emitting PM during the
unloading process. Exhaust gasses are continuously monitored for Carbon Monoxide
(CO), Sulfur Dioxide (SOZ), Nitrogen Oxides (NOX), opacity, and oxygen (02). A number
of operating parameters, including scrubber exit (baghouse inlet) temperature, and boiler
feedwater flow rate, are also monitored continuously. Air emissions are governed in the
state of Minnesota by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) under the Title V
permitting program. ERS's air permit number is 14100003.
Other air emission sources on site:
Hot water for internal use when boilers 1, 2, and 3 are shut down is occasionally
provided by a rented fuel-oil-fired boiler. A natural gas-fired generator currently provides
emergency electrical power, for use to recharge an existing battery bank. The System
Operations Control Emergency Generator is included in ERS Title V air permit but is
maintained and operated by system operations. The Elk River Peaking Station is also
included in the MPCA issued Title V air permit #14100003 as an emission source on this
site.
Water usage and discharge:
System cooling is provided by once-through appropriations from the Mississippi River.
Discharge and monitoring to the Mississippi is governed by the Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
permitting program. Additional groundwater appropriations are used for scrubber
operation and internal wastewater streams. Treatment is provided by a wastewater
clarifier which discharges internally to the once-through cooling water discharge.
Combustor waste (ash):
Fly ash produced in the course of waste combustion is stored in an enclosed area at the
facility. A fabric filter baghouse controls PM emissions during the conveyance of the fly
ash. The ash is shipped from the site using covered trucks to a permitted ash-only cell in
Becker, MN.
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Conditional Use Permit and Solid Waste Facility
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Large on-site tanks:
The ERS facility has three bulk fuel oil tanks. Until recently, these tanks were empty and
unused since 1981. As part of the construction of the peaking station, two of the tanks
were refurbished; one is used for fuel oil storage and the other is used for demineralized
water storage. The third tank remains sealed off and unused. The refurbished fuel oil
tank supplies backup fuel to ERS and the peaking station. The demineralized water is
used to control NOx emissions when the peaking station combustion turbine is firing fuel
oil.
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Parcel Nos. and Legal Descriptions
The steam plant sits on county parcel # 75-003-1200 (covers everything west of RR
tracks)
1. Elk River Headquarters, Generating Plant and Substations: A certain tract of land
described in Certificate of Title #2232, dated January 22, 1973, by The Rural Cooperative
Power Association, a corporation, as grantor, to United Power Association, as grantee, and
recorded in the Office of the Registrar of Titles, in Volume 8, on Page 179.
Legal Description: That part of Government Lots 3 and 4 of Section 3, Township 32, Range
26 West, lying southwesterly of the Great Northern Railway Company's right of way; which
lies northeasterly of a line run parallel with and distant 300 feet northeasterly of the first
following described line; southeasterly of the second following described line and
northwesterly of the third following described line: (1). Beginning at a point on the North line
of said Section 3, distant 2309.5 feet West of the Northeast corner thereof; thence running
southeasterly at an angle of 81 degrees 00 minutes with said North section line for a
distance of 1327.6 feet; thence deflect to the left on a 3 degree 00 minute curve, delta angle
39 degrees 04 minutes, for a distance of 1100 feet and there terminating; (2). From a point
on the North line of said Section 3, distant 2057 feet West of the Northeast corner thereof,
run southeasterly at an angle of 55 degrees 18 minutes with the said North section line for a
distance of 190.74 feet; thence deflect to the right at an angle of 90 degrees and run
southwesterly to the northeasterly right of way line of U.S. Highway 10 as now established,
which is the point of beginning of the line to be described; thence back northeasterly along
line just described to a point of intersection with the southwesterly right of way line of the
Great Northern Railway Company, the same being now located and established, and then
terminating; (3). From a point on the North line of said Section 3, distant 2057 feet West of
the Northeast corner thereof, run southeasterly at an angle of 55 degrees 18 minutes with
said North section line for a distance of 2025.7 feet; thence deflect to the left at an angle of
76 degrees 15 minutes and run northeasterly to the southwesterly right of way line of the
Great Northern Railway Company, as same is now located and established over and across
said tract to the point of beginning of line to be described; thence run southwesterly on the
last above described course for a distance of 750 feet and there terminating; excepting there
from the following tract: From a point on the North line of said Section 3, distant 2057 feet
West of the Northeast corner thereof, run southeasterly at an angle of 55 degrees 18
minutes with said North section line for a distance of 2025.7 feet; thence deflect to the right
at an included angle of 76 degrees 15 minutes with the line just described to the
northeasterly right of way line of U.S. Highway 10 as now located, and which point is the
point of beginning of the line of the land to be described; thence back northeasterly 200 feet
along the line just described; thence left 90 degrees northwesterly 200 feet, thence left 90
degrees southwesterly to intersection with northeasterly right of way line of U.S. Highway 10
as now located; thence southeasterly along said highway right of way line to the point of
beginning. The said tract containing 15.5 acres, more or less, and subject to restrictions of
access along the entire southwesterly boundary of the above tract except between points
distant 1056 feet and 1171 feet, respectively, and southeasterly along the southwesterly
boundary of the above tract measured from the intersection of said southwesterly boundary
and the northwesterly boundary; and also except between points 250 feet and 330 feet,
respectively, along the same boundary and measured from the same point as in the
exception from the restriction of access set out immediately above; Boundaries are judicially
determined and adjudged to be as referred to in the description above and as set forth in the
Survey, attached to Inst. No. 1380, filed in file No. 947, Office of the Registrar of Titles,
Sherburne County, Minnesota.
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Parcel Nos. and Legal Descriptions
PID: 75-003-1100 (covers everything east of RR tracks) including peaker
2. Elk River Headquarters, Generating Plant and Substations: A certain tract of land
described in Quit Claim Deed #90158, dated June 17, 1959, by the State of Minnesota, as
grantor, to The Rural Cooperative Power Association, as grantee, and recorded in the Office
of the Register of Deeds as Instrument #90158.
Legal Description: All that part of the following described tract: That part of Government
Lots 3 and 4 of Section 3, Township 32 North, Range 26 West; lying northeasterly of the
railway; which lies westerly of a line run parallel with and distant 200 feet westerly of the
following described line; From a point on the North line of said Section 3, distant 403 feet
West of the Northeast corner thereof run northwesterly at an angle of 72 degrees 19 minutes
with said North section line for 600 feet to the point of beginning of line to be described;
thence run southeasterly along the last above described course for 696.48 feet; thence
deflect to the right on a ten chord spiral curve of decreasing radius (spiral angle 06 degrees
00 minutes) for 400 feet; thence deflect to the right on a 03 degrees 00 minutes circular
curve (delta angle 23 degrees 06 minutes) for 770 feet; thence deflect to the right on a ten
chord spiral curve of increasing radius (spiral angle 06 degrees 00 minutes) for 400 feet;
thence on tangent to said curve for 400 feet and there terminating; excepting there from the
following described tract: Beginning at a poinf on the North line of said Section 3, distant
1195.97 feet West of the Northeast corner of said Section 3; thence at right angles South 0
degrees 07 minutes 30 seconds East 240 feet; thence South 77 degrees 35 minutes West
409.47 feet; thence North 34 degrees 52 minutes West 398.2 feet, more or less, to its
intersection with the North line of said Section 3; thence North 89 degrees 52 minutes 30
seconds East along the North line of said Section 3 a distance of 627 feet to the point of
beginning, and excepting the following described tract: Government Lot 3 of Section 3,
Township 32 North, Range 26 West, lying northeasterly of the Railway; which lies easterly of
aline run parallel with and distant 200 feet easterly of the following described line: From a
point on the North line of said Section 3, distant 2309.5 feet West of the Northeast corner
thereof, run southeasterly at an angle of 81 degrees 00 minutes with said North section line
for a distance of 2005.2 feet; thence deflect to the left at an angle of 39 degrees 04 minutes
for a distance of 1588.3 feet; thence deflect to the left at an angle of 90 degrees 00 minutes
for a distance of 50 feet; thence deflect to the left at an angle of 24 degrees 36 minutes for a
distance of 624.7 feet to the point of beginning of line to be described; thence continue
northeasterly on the above described course for a distance of 872.3 feet; thence deflect to
the left on a 2 degrees 00 minutes curve, delta angle 15 degrees 45 minutes for a distance of
400 feet and there terminating; containing 31.90 acres, more or less. Subject to the following
restriction: No access shall be permitted to Trunk Highway No. 187 from the above described
real estate and reserving the right of the State of Minnesota to remove earth materials which
may be required for the construction and maintenance of trunk highways in the vicinity of
said real estate.
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Great River Energy
Elk River Campus Site
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