According to the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, the application package contains information required by the Kentucky Division of Air Quality to evaluate the project and issue a Title 5 permit authorizing construction and operation for the facility.
In a letter to Kentucky officials, Chris Sharp, corporate environmental manager at SunCoke Energy, wrote, “The plant will employ the latest Best Available Control Technology (BACT) for new major non-recovery cokemaking facilities.”
According to sources close to the situation, the Haverhill site of Sun Coke is still in the running for that major expansion project. Sun Coke is considering several sites, including its current site at Haverhill and a possible site in South Shore, for the location of expansion of coke oven batteries.
The filing fulfills speculation the company would be applying for permits for the South Shore location as one of its steps in consideration of which location they will choose.
The Times was told in September 2010 that it was a proposed $600 million project, but a hang-up had occurred over the non-attainment status of the air quality in Scioto County, and that the plant might instead be located in South Shore, leading to speculation that the company would at least apply for permits in Kentucky just as a part of the process.
In January, Thomas Golembeski of Sun Coke said the Haverhill location is still in the running for the expansion.
“We are considering expansion at the Haverhill plant as one of several options that we’re looking at,” Golembeski said. “But, to my knowledge, and I just spoke to some folks in the business development group today, no action has been take on that yet.”
Sun Coke officials have been in continuous meetings with area officials including the board of the Southern Ohio Port Authority as they attempt to work through any issues.
One of the early issues was the need to purchase air credits to move forward with any expansion in Haverhill, but company officials now are saying that is no longer an issue.
“It would be premature for us to comment on the specifics of the permitting process,” Joe McGinn, a Sun Coke spokesman said at the time.
“There likely wouldn’t be a final decision on a final location and which option to pursue for a while yet,” Golembeski said. “We would have to go through the permitting process and do some more studies, and do some detailed engineering before we can make a decision like that.”
A check of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency shows no permits have been applied for relating to the Haverhill site.
Post a Comment
