Agenda - Council - 02/08/1994 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CASE # REQUESTi FOR A TEMPORARY CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR AN ALTER~ATE FUEL SUPPLY TEST DEMONSTRATION FACILITY; CASE OF KALTEC OF MINNESOTA, INC. By: Zoning Administrator Sylvia Frolik 4 Background: Kaltec of MinneSOta, Inc. has applied for a temporary conditional use permit (CUP) to establish and operate a Mdlten Carbonate Fuel Cell test demonsn'afion facility on the landfill property at 14730 Sunfish L~tke Blvd. N.W. Kaltec would be leasing a portion of Waste Management's property for this ~monstration project. The following iterhs are enclosed for your information: a) Sit* location map b) Ka :tec's application c) Le ter of endorsement of U.S. Congressman Grams d) Pre ~osed findings of fact e) Pr Dosed CUP Observations: The demonstratio~, facility consists of an 8,400 square foot pole barn for housing a fuel cell, gas processing equiprr :nt and support equipment. Two mobile type structures would also be brought onto the site to prr vide office and bathroom facilities for site personnel. Access to the site will be from the exiting limdfill entrance. Following the completion of the demonstration project, all structures, equipment and materials will be removed from the property. The equipment t6~ be housed in the structure was developed by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) ~ the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) to demonstrate alternate fuel supp,lies using fuel cell technolog3'. The equipment will utilize methane gas currently generated by the I41mdfill to demonstrate the potential use in generating electricity. There is no end use plarmed for th~ energy created during the demonstration project and it will simply dissipate. The demonstrafio~projeet proposes to have the equipment operational for a period of 4,000 hours (6 months). The ~JP is wirtten for a one year term to allow sufficient time for site set-up and teardown in addition to the 6 months of demonstration testing. The Applicant has ~ndicated that the noise level associated with the faciliE~, will be lower than that of the existing blowefrs at the site associated with the groundwater cleanup actvity. Because the methane gas is exti~Acted from piping prior to the existing flaring process and because the methane gas is cleaned befoI'e it is introduced to the fuel cell, odo~ from the facility would be less than that which currently exist. According to the alDplicant, the nature of this demonstration project is such that it does not require any State or Coun~ permits. The Applicant states that a successful demonstration project will receive National attention because of the need to develop technolo~es to replace the dependence on fossil fuel for the g.*nemtion of electrical power. f~