Press Releases
January 8, 2010
DEP Permit Calls for Cooling Towers at Oyster Creek
On Thursday, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that it has issued a draft environmental permit requiring the construction of cooling towers at the Oyster Creek Generating Station. DEP representatives said that the facility’s proposed water-discharge permit would now require the once-through cooling water flow be converted into a closed-cycle system through the use of cooling towers.
The draft permit has been under review at the DEP under Governor Corzine for the last four years, but no action was taken until yesterday, just days before the new administration takes office. The DEP has previously considered and rejected closed cycle cooling at Oyster Creek on three different occasions. This current draft permit is only one step in the permitting process, but it is the first step in a line of action that could one day result in the closure of Oyster Creek. The construction of cooling towers at the facility is severely cost prohibitive. Should Exelon Generation, the plant’s owner, be forced to build cooling towers they would have no alternative but to shut down the facility.
“The Oyster Creek Generating Station plays a major in role in maintaining the stability, reliability and affordability of our state’s energy supply,” said Dr. Salmon, Chairman of the NJ Energy Coalition. “We at the Coalition sincerely hope this permitting process will take into account the significant economic consequences of requiring the construction of cooling towers at Oyster Creek.”
Oyster Creek’s low-cost baseload output reduces energy costs for New Jersey consumers by $190 million annually. The facility directly employs over 700 individuals and meets 6% of New Jersey’s energy demand with clean, carbon-free electricity.
“At a time when we can least afford it, the closure of Oyster Creek would cripple our energy infrastructure, negatively impact the state economy and put 700 highly skilled employees out of work,” said Richard Mroz, Senior Advisor to the Coalition. “We are confident that through compromise and discussion, another course of action can be pursued that does not put so many jobs, or the stability of our state’s energy supply, in needless jeopardy.”
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The mission of the NJ Energy Coalition is to generate public support for the production of clean, reliable, affordable, American energy to meet New Jersey's growing energy needs. The Coalition seeks to achieve this goal through increasing the public's awareness of the need to keep existing clean energy providers operational and to promote and support the development of new affordable clean sources.
For more information, please contact:
Andrew Young
Phone:856-308-3656
ayoung@njenergycoalition.org