Reducing Emissions in the Austin Community

Environmental leadership is a priority for Austin Energy. We strive to go above and beyond requirements related to emissions and other quality of life issues.

Emission Reduction at Sand Hill Energy Center
Our new Sand Hill Energy Center opened in 2001. It has four natural gas-fueled peaking units. These units have catalytic emission reduction systems. Law does not require this additional pollution control equipment.

This equipment makes the units among the cleanest operating in the country. Austin Energy is now building a 300-megawatt combined-cycle plant at Sand Hill that will have the same low-emission rates.

Emission Reductions at Fayette Power Project
Austin Energy will invest about $70 Million for our share of the cost to install additional pollution control equipment on two units at the Fayette Power Project (FPP) in La Grange. Austin Energy co-owns the coal-fueled units with the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA).

These improvements result from the fact that the state issued the facility the nation’s first “flex permit.” Under this state air permit, Austin Energy and the LCRA will reduce sulfur dioxide emissions at FPP by 90% and NOx by 50% within the next 10 years. The permit enables the plant to proceed with projects that increase efficiency during the interim without additional permitting.

Emission Reductions at the Decker and Holly Power Plants
Austin Energy reduced NOx emissions beyond state air permitting requirements at its Decker and Holly power plants. Both plants are located in Austin. In fact, we will reduce NOx emissions at the two plants sufficient to completely offset any new NOx emissions at the Sand Hill Energy Center.

Recent projects at Decker reduced NOx emissions by 40% on Unit 1 and by a projected 57% on Unit 2. Holly has reduced NOx emissions by more than 50% in recent years through new combustion equipment including flame-tempering systems.

Austin Energy has applied for permits which, in effect, “de-grandfather” both plants. As part of this permitting effort, Austin Energy committed to make additional reductions in NOx emission from Decker and Holly. The reductions are equal to the emissions from Sand Hill.

This commitment has, in effect, offset the new NOx emissions from Sand Hill. This agreement has effectively capped our NOx emissions from all three plants to 1741 tons.

In 2002, all the three plants combined emitted 1,278 tons. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality granted the air permit for Decker in 2002 and the permit for Holly is expected in late 2003.