Rob Trotta

Rob Trotta of Peoples Energy explains a new cooling system design for the COB Energy Facility this morning.
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The change would mean the plant, called the COB Energy Facility, would use 97 percent less water than originally planned, but would also be less energy efficient, said Rob Trotta, director of power generation for the company, at a press conference today in Klamath Falls.

Switching to an air-cooled design would also reduce the amount of land needed for the plant by 70 acres.

The original plan called for the 1,150-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant to sit on 194 acres, and use groundwater for cooling the turbines.

"This is a direct response to the concern that we heard from the public, county and state," Trotta said of the change.

Trotta said a big concern about the plant has been the potential impact on wells in the area.The changes should alleviate much of that, he said.

Like the fan under the hood of a car, giant fans would be used to cool pipes carrying heated water in the power plant.

With a water cooling system, the plant would use up to 7,500 gallons of water per minute, or 4,811 acre-feet per year.With an air cooling system, the plant will use up to 210 gallons per minute, or 92 acre-feet per year, according to Chicago-based Peoples Energy.

Trotta said there would be other benefits of the plant going to air cooling, including no steam plume and no salt deposits from the cooling tower.

The air-cooled system would also not need the evaporation pond and sludge disposal operation required by a water-cooled design.

He said the plant, which would have 20 to 30 employees, would have a maximum production of 20 megawatts less, or 1,130 megawatts.

Trotta said the switch to an air-cooled design would add to the construction cost - originally pegged at $750 million - but he declined to say how much.

The company has already invested $5 million in the project over the past two years, he said.

The company would still plan to use the Babson well, a 1,500-foot-deep well east of Bonanza, said Trotta.

Much of the concern about water came from how use of the Babson well might affect a shallow aquifer used by many farmers and ranchers in Langell Valley.

Trotta said the company is still committed to the location for the power plant.

"We put a lot of time and money into this location," he said."We believe in this location."

He said its proximity to a gas compressor station and major transmission lines makes it an ideal spot for a power plant.

The change to an air-cooled design means the company needs to amend its application to the Oregon Office of Energy's Facility Siting Council.

Trotta said the company will submit an amendment to its site application to the Oregon Office of Energy in the next 30 to 60 days.
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Trotta said the company hopes to break ground on the plant by the first of next year.

Reporter Dylan Darling covers natural resources.He can be reached at 885-4471, (800) 275-0982, or by e-mail at ddarling@heraldandnews.com.

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Moreover, Rob Trotta, a project manager for Peoples Energy Resource Company, said Wednesday that the company would abandon its proposal to build a water-cooled plant in favor of a more expensive, but neighbor-friendly, air-cooled facility.
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Trotta expressed optimism that the change would remove a major obstacle to getting approval for the plant since an air-cooled design would require 97 percent less water than a water-cooled plant would have.

"Water is a very contentious issue in the basin," Trotta said.

Trotta declined to say how much more the air-cooled plant will cost to build.Peoples Energy has spent $5 million so far in their pursuit of a siting permit.
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However, if Peoples Energy concludes there isn't a robust-enough economy, it reserves the option to make a smaller power plant, or abandon the idea altogether, Trotta said
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Trotta was not fazed by the negative report.

"Of course, it concerns me," he said.
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If approved, the energy facility will bring more than "$469 million of economic stimulus to the county in the first five years after groundbreaking," Trotta said.