The Kentucky State Board on Electric Generation and Transmission Siting has received an application requesting a construction certificate for a generating plant about a mile south of Wickliffe, in Ballard County. A review has determined that the application is complete as submitted on Wednesday, April 13, 2005.
       DTE Wickliffe, LLC, an affiliate of DTE Energy Services, Inc., of Ann Arbor, Mich., has applied to build a 13-megawatt plant. The plant would be located on the grounds of the Mead-Westvaco paper mill and would be powered by steam that the paper mill produces by burning wood wastes. Most of the electricity generated would be sold back to the paper mill, with the remainder sold on the open, wholesale market. The application and related documents are available on the Siting Board Web site:
http://psc.ky.gov/agencies/psc/siting_board/merchant.htm
       Under the law passed in 2002 by the Kentucky General Assembly, the Siting Board has 120 days after an application is deemed complete to decide whether to approve that application. The law and associated regulations set certain requirements and deadlines for public participation in the review process.  Those are:
* Persons or entities with an interest in the case may apply to the Siting Board to become parties to the case (intervenors). Intervenors are full participants in the case, with the right to request information from the applicant or other parties to the case and to cross-examine witnesses in the evidentiary hearing. Intervenors are not required to reside in the county in which the facility is proposed. Requests for intervenor status, citing the case number and the reason for intervention, must be made in writing to the Siting Board at the above address within 30 days of the filing of a complete application. The deadline in the DTE Wickliffe case is May 13, 2005.

* A formal evidentiary hearing may be held at the request of parties to the case or on motion of the Siting Board. Participation in the hearing is limited to the applicants and to parties to the case. Testimony is taken under oath. Requests for a formal hearing must be made in writing to the Siting Board at the above address within 30 days of the filing of a complete application. The deadline in the DTE Wickliffe case is May 13, 2005.
* A local public hearing will be held if requested by a local government entity and may be held if requested by at least three residents of the county in which the facility is proposed. The local public hearing would provide an opportunity for the general public to be heard by the Siting Board in an informal setting. Requests for an informal local public hearing must be made in writing to the Siting Board at the above address within 30 days of the filing of a complete application. The deadline in the DTE Wickliffe case is May 13, 2005.
       More information on the public participation process is available on the Siting Board Web site. Any hearings in the case will be announced as they are scheduled.
        The Siting Board has processed four power plant applications thus far. In 2002, a construction certificate was granted to Kentucky Mountain Power, LLC for a 520-MW coal-burning facility in Knott County. In 2003, the Siting Board granted conditional certificates to Kentucky Pioneer Energy, LLC, which proposed to build a 540-MW synthetic gas-fueled generating facility in Clark County, and to Thoroughbred Generating Company for a 1,500-megawatt coal-burning plant to be built near Central City in Muhlenberg County. In 2004, a conditional certificate was granted to Estill County Energy Partners, LLC to construct a 110-megawatt facility near Irvine.
       The case number for DTE Wickliffe, LLC is 2005-00108.
       The Siting Board is an agency within the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet. It is charged with reviewing applications for merchant power plants, also known as independent power producers, which sell electricity on the wholesale, unregulated market.
       The Siting Board consists of the three members of the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC), the secretary of the Kentucky Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet or her designee, the secretary of Kentucky Economic Development Cabinet or his designee, and two local members appointed by the Governor for each case. The chairman of the PSC serves as chairman of the Siting Board.
       The PSC’s 110 employees provide staff and administrative support to the Siting Board.