Does state need Clear River?

Power plants are inherently controversial and the proposed 1,000-megawatt Invenergy Thermal Development LLC project in Burrillville is no exception.

The $700 million Clear River Energy Center already has sparked debate, demonstrated most recently at a March 31 public hearing that packed the Burrillville High School auditorium. Additional public hearings will be held by the state Energy Facility Siting Board on May 10 and May 23.

How much the general public’s opinion regarding the project will play into the final decision is unclear. The siting board, which will decide the project’s fate, includes Margaret Curran, R.I. Public Utilities Commission chair; Janet Coit, R.I. Department of Environmental Management director and Parag Agrawal, R.I. Division Planning associate director.

The trio will evaluate a checklist of project requirements, including whether it’s cost-justified, produces energy at the lowest reasonable cost, doesn’t cause “unacceptable harm” to the environment and enhances “the socioeconomic fabric of the state,” according to state law. A final decision is due this fall.

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Todd Bianco, siting board coordinator, says public opinion is integral to the decision-making process.

Proponents say the plant could provide a much-needed economic boost, mostly via construction jobs, and provide cheap and efficient energy.

But critics cite potentially harmful effects on the environment, a continued reliance on fossil fuels and a detrimental move away from the Resilient Rhode Island Act, which calls for sharply cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Perhaps the biggest question looming over the project is one proponents may have felt most confident about just a year ago: Is it even needed?

In 2015, southern New England was considered strapped for capacity because a number of power plants are scheduled to shut down throughout the region. But Rhode Island’s electrical zone has since been redrawn and now includes more of northeastern Massachusetts. At the same time, infrastructure projects have improved grid reliability.

And in February, ISO New England, the six-state region’s electricity regulator, at an annual auction bought just 485 megawatts from Invenergy’s proposed power plant for 2019-2020, well short of the maximum capacity of 1,000 megawatts.

“The Invenergy plant is just not needed for system reliability,” Jerry Elmer, senior attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation of Rhode Island, wrote on Feb. 12 on the organization’s website.

Invenergy naturally disagrees.

“We need a diversified energy mix and it’s clear natural gas must play a role in that energy portfolio,” said John Niland, director of business development for the Chicago-based company. •

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