Calpine Corp. has received approval to build the nation’s first power plant with a federal limit on greenhouse gas emissions. As national and world leaders continue to move toward regulation of global warming pollutants, Calpine has worked to establish a first-of-its-kind limit on emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases from the company’s planned 600MW Russell City Energy Center located in the City of Hayward in Alameda County, California. Construction of the natural gas-fired power plant is expected to begin later this year. The Russell City facility will be designed to operate in a way that produces 50% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than even the most advanced coal-fired plants and 25% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than the standard set by the California Public Utilities Commission. The facility will also use 100% reclaimed water from the City of Hayward’s Water Pollution Control Facility for cooling and boiler makeup. This environmentally responsible process conserves water and prevents nearly four million gallons of wastewater per day from being discharged into San Francisco Bay.
