Upcoming Projects/ Announcements
Decisions & Orders
Current Projects
Past Projects
Public Hearing Minutes and Transcripts
NEW HAMPSHIRE SITE EVALUATION COMMITTEE
Photo Descriptions:
| Coal, oil, and gas-fired electric power generation facilities represent an important component of the "mix" of energy facilities in New Hampshire necessary to ensure system reliability, safety, and capacity. The existing generation facilities shown in this aerial photograph are considered to be "bulk power facilities" by the SEC and are located along the banks of the Piscataqua River estuary in Newington, New Hampshire. The facility on the left is oil/natural gas-fired and the one on the right is primarily coal-fired, with one boiler designed to be fired by wood chips. Both generate more than 30 megawatts of power, which represents the statutory minimum threshold for electrical generation that could trigger an SEC review if they were to be reconstructed, retrofitted, or significantly modified; or if similar new units were to be constructed. |  |
| The design, construction, and operational components of proposed natural gas or oil pipelines that will traverse New Hampshire (including laterals, pressurization facilities, and metering stations) are evaluated by the SEC as "energy facilities" to ensure that the supply of fuel is sufficient to support dedicated end uses, whether they be power generation units, commercial and industrial facilities, or residential consumers. Energy facilities are defined within RSA 162-H:2,VII. A recent example of this activity was the construction of the Portland Natural Gas Transmission System’s 24-inch pipeline in 1999 (shown in this photograph), which passed through Coos County in northern New Hampshire. Another example of an energy facility that may be subject to an evaluation by the SEC is a bulk fuel tank farm, but only if it satisfies the criteria set forth in RSA 162-H:2,VII. |  |
| Nuclear power generation facilities also contribute to the array of electrical energy sources in New Hampshire. This aerial photograph shows the Seabrook Nuclear Power Facility and its immediate surroundings, adjacent to a saltmarsh along New Hampshire’s seacoast in the Town of Seabrook. Only one of two proposed units of this "bulk power facility" is currently in operation, and it generates over 1,100 megawatts of electric power for the regional grid. Seawater is withdrawn from the Atlantic Ocean through a bedrock tunnel to cool the reactor, after which it is returned to sea through a companion bedrock tunnel to diffusers which help disperse the heated water. The decommissioning of this facility at the end of its useful design life will be accomplished in accordance with the requirements of RSA 162-F ("NH Decommissioning of Nuclear Electric Generating Facilities Act"). |  |
| Electric transmission lines that carry at least 100 kilovolts of electrical power may also fall within the jurisdiction of the SEC as a "bulk power supply facility." RSA 162-H:2 ("Definitions") provides the qualifying criteria for new transmission lines, or upgrades to existing ones, which may need to be certified by the SEC. The photograph shows a transmission line substation in Laconia, New Hampshire. These types of "corridor" projects pose different issues in terms of environmental impacts, abutter concerns, and land use changes when compared to a single site application, such as a fuel storage facility or power plant. The SEC must consider the merits of such an application to determine whether or not there is a true need for the transmission line, and then gage its potential impacts to the environment, energy balance, economy, and general public health and welfare before a decision is made concerning whether or not to issue a Certificate of Site and Facility to the applicant. |  |