• Beesley's Point Future

  • Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New Jersey
Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New Jersey

Moderator: David

  by glennk419
 
A couple links with fair use quotes:
PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP — A New Jersey agency tasked with protecting the ecologically fragile Pinelands region narrowly defeated a proposal Friday to run a 22-mile natural gas pipeline through it.
http://www.courierpostonline.com/viewar ... /301100067
PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. - January 10, 2014 (WPVI) -- Officials have rejected a plan to build a natural gas pipeline through New Jersey's Pinelands, and the company behind the project isn't sure what its next move will be.

South Jersey Gas wants to build a 22-mile pipeline to connect with a power plant that's switching from coal to natural gas.
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?secti ... id=9388676

It will be VERY interesting to see what this bodes for the future of the BEES.
  by Ken W2KB
 
As I see it, there are four possibilities. Appeal, legislative action overriding, interstate pipeline alternatives triggering federal preemption, or the generating station is abandoned.
  by blockline4180
 
My bet is the Generating station will eventually be abandoned..... Even if that does happen though, I do see the possibility for scrap trains to move the pieces, if and when the plant is dismantled.
  by CJPat
 
Perhaps it can still be economical to install the appropriate scrubbing equipment for the Coal fired furnances? My company is participating in a pilot experiment hosted by EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) that utilizes biological treatment to remove selenium, mercury, and other trace metals from a power plants wastewater. Looks very promising. EPRI generally represents the interests of the Power Industry to provide cleaner energy. I understand that this pilot experiment is generating (no pun intended) a lot of interest from around the country.

Don't know if this would resolve B L England's issues if they can't get a pipeline. Interesting that there were no comments provided in those story links regarding acceptable alternatives allowed by the Pinelands Commission. They made it sound Pass/Fail.
  by glennk419
 
What no one has mentioned here is that the plant already has the ability to burn oil and one of the two oil fired units is already outfitted with a scrubber. The coal unit (Unit 1) is going to shut down regardless, what's the issue with continuing to use oil in Units 2 and 3 and possibly building an additional storage tank or two on the old coal yard? I know that gas is cleaner and relatively cheap right now but installing a scrubber on the second unit might also have some merit. The plant has been online quite a bit in what is normally the light demand season ( I know, Oyster Creek is currently down) but that at least shows that the plant still has a place on the grid.

I also wish they would have kept the golf course open. :(
  by Ken W2KB
 
glennk419 wrote:What no one has mentioned here is that the plant already has the ability to burn oil and one of the two oil fired units is already outfitted with a scrubber. The coal unit (Unit 1) is going to shut down regardless, what's the issue with continuing to use oil in Units 2 and 3 and possibly building an additional storage tank or two on the old coal yard? I know that gas is cleaner and relatively cheap right now but installing a scrubber on the second unit might also have some merit. The plant has been online quite a bit in what is normally the light demand season ( I know, Oyster Creek is currently down) but that at least shows that the plant still has a place on the grid.

I also wish they would have kept the golf course open. :(
To have a chance to get the required NJ emissions permits, more than scrubbers would be needed; would need selective catalytic reduction (“SCR”), “baghouses” and activated carbon injection. These with scrubbers would address the 4 Ps: NOx, SO2, mercury and particulates. Probably would require in the neighborhood of half a billion dollars for the emissions control alone which would make it next to impossible to recover the capital cost in the competitive wholesale power market.

I believe that only one unit is currently capable of burning oil, though generally coal units can be converted to oil. Oil is too expensive a fuel to be able to bid energy into the wholesale electric market other than a few hours a year when the location marginal prices per MWH at the bus go into the several hundreds of dollars. Oil also requires substantial emissions control equipment to meet NJ air quality standards. Only a minimal amount of generation in the USA is oil-fired for those reasons. There are several oil fired peakers in NJ aggregating several hundred megawatts that will be retired in NJ in the next 2 or 3 years because of the fuel price and the need for emissions control making then uneconimic.

The very cold weather recently had all available capacity called into the PJM dispatch so the plant would have run for that. That's eased off now, and certainly Oyster Creek being offline raised locational marginal prices and the station may have also been ordered on for reliability, which lets it run outside the regular bid process.
  by pumpers
 
Is there an oil pipeline to Beesley's that could be converted to gas?
I don't know (a) if such a pipeline exists, and (b) if it is technologically possible to convert a pipeline from oil to gas service, and (c) if the existing gas and oil pipeline network has a good point to change the connection of the pipeline (if it exists) from a oil supply to a gas supply, without digging up more of the Pine Barrens (which seems to be the big no no).
JS
  by glennk419
 
pumpers wrote:Is there an oil pipeline to Beesley's that could be converted to gas?
I don't know (a) if such a pipeline exists, and (b) if it is technologically possible to convert a pipeline from oil to gas service, and (c) if the existing gas and oil pipeline network has a good point to change the connection of the pipeline (if it exists) from a oil supply to a gas supply, without digging up more of the Pine Barrens (which seems to be the big no no).
JS
The current oil supply is delivered by rail. There is no pipeline serving the plant at this time.
  by R&DB
 
Does anyone know if they have looked into LNG by railcar? Probably cost prohibitive due to delivery costs, but might be cheaper than oil.
  by RichM
 
LNG railcars cost $1 million each. Then factor stationary storage costs and reliquifiers at the power plant, and pretty soon you're talking real money. It's New Jersey. If enough money changes hands, a pipeline can be built. It's not like it's Keystone... or maybe it is...
  by bluedash2
 
Trainlawyer wrote:Did anyone else here notice that what may be one of the last coal trains to the plant went on the ground last weekend?
GME
Yes. It was only the lead unit (an SD60E) that derailed most likely due to icing on the rails at a private crossing nearby. The crew reportedly said there was ice before, at and just after that crossing. Those private crossings don't get plowed. The other two engines were used to push the train back enough to unblock the crossings. By Sunday afternoon, the loco was rerailed and cleared to run and the train was then brought into the plant.
  by johnnyloco
 
2/15/2014
The third NS 502 coal train to Beesleys Point of 2014 made another daylight appearance.
NS 502 at Williamstown Junction-
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... id=3754273

NS 6544 (ex-UP SD60) still in yellow livery-
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... id=3754277

Going away shot through the once busy, now dead, Williamstown Junction-
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... id=3754279

John D.
  by bluedash2
 
glennk419 wrote:
pumpers wrote:Is there an oil pipeline to Beesley's that could be converted to gas?
I don't know (a) if such a pipeline exists, and (b) if it is technologically possible to convert a pipeline from oil to gas service, and (c) if the existing gas and oil pipeline network has a good point to change the connection of the pipeline (if it exists) from a oil supply to a gas supply, without digging up more of the Pine Barrens (which seems to be the big no no).
JS
The current oil supply is delivered by rail. There is no pipeline serving the plant at this time.
Adding that they haven't had an oil delivery in a few years. I don't think that burner is used anymore but I could be wrong.
  by Ken W2KB
 
Fair use quote:

BEESLEY’S POINT – An investigatory process was started Feb. 12 by Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1st) and Assemblyman Robert Andrzejczak (D-1st) into the reasons for rejection of South Jersey Gas’ application to build a gas pipeline from Millville to the B.L. England Generating plant, owned by R.C. Cape May.

The senator, in a release, stated, “I’m going to look at every aspect of this process and analyze how we can make it right. Make no mistake about it, we need to build this pipeline and I’m going to give it my level best to make it happen. I am asking the governor and Senate president to help in this process.”

http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/arti ... t+pipeline

It appears that a potential bipartisan approach to sidestep the Pinelands Commission Order may be afoot.

Meanwhile the interconnection project related to the repowering of the station has been suspended in the PJM queue:

Y1-001 BL England 138kV B.L. England Station 452 447 452 [Status: SUSPENDED] Natural Gas 06/01/2017

http://www.pjm-miso.com/planning/rtep-u ... tatus.aspx
  by mikecoast
 
Dear Trainlawyer,

You seem very knowledgeable about all things railroad, especially in Massachusetts.. Some years back I posted about my Dad being landlocked in Freetown, Massachusetts. Well now he has given the land to me. Is there a way to email or inbox you?

Regards,
Lanlocked in Freetown, Massachusetts
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