The plant’s natural gas equipment has been retooled to burn fuel oil. In addition, Great River Energy will add onsite storage for the fuel oil.
Clean Up The River Environment, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations note that burning fuel oil instead of natural gas will increase particulate matter, mercury, lead, carcinogenic diesel exhaust and arsenic.
Hudson Kingston, litigation and policy attorney for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, said that running the plant on diesel fuel oil “is going to have public health and environmental impacts.”
Ruzycki said emissions from the plant would stay well within limits set by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Department of Energy. The plant will operate on fuel oil for 24 to 48 hours annually, he said.
