COUNTY: Wakulla

APPLICANT: City of Tallahassee

LOCATION: The existing Samuel O. Purdom Generating Station is located within the city limits of the City of St. Marks, east of State Road 363 on the shore of the St. Marks River, approximately two miles south of U. S. 98.

STAFF REMARKS: The City of Tallahassee (City) wishes to repower its existing electric power plant in St. Marks by retiring Units 5 and 6, which currently are permitted to burn high sulfur heavy residual oil and replacing them with a 250 megawatt, high efficiency, natural gas-fired, combined cycle generating unit. The project includes retirement of certain facilities associated with the existing plant, the re-conductoring of two existing transmission lines, upgrading an existing natural gas pipeline lateral, the construction of a reclaimed water pipeline from the City of St. Marks sewage treatment plant to the Purdom Generating Station, and the retirement and capping of existing wells supplying water to the plant. The Florida Public Service Commission issued a Determination of Need for Unit 8 on June 9, 1997. A Final Order finding the site in conformance with existing land use plans and zoning ordinances was adopted by the Siting Board on October 28, 1997. A Certification Hearing was held from November 18 through November 21, 1997, by the Division of Administrative Hearings. On March 9, 1998, the Administrative Law Judge entered a Recommended Order recommending that the Purdom Generating Station, including the proposed Unit 8, be granted certification pursuant to Chapter 403, Part II, F. S., in accordance with the attached conditions. On March 19, 1998, the Judge entered a Corrected Recommended Order recommending the proposed Purdom Unit 8 be certified. On March 24, 1998, Wakulla County filed Exceptions to the Corrected Recommended Order. On March 30, 1998, the City of Tallahassee filed a response to Wakulla County's Exceptions to the Corrected Recommended Order, and on April 3, 1998, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) filed responses to Wakulla County's exceptions.

The Final Order approves and adopts the Corrected Recommended Order as submitted by the Administrative Law Judge to grant certification subject to the proposed Conditions of Certification and denies Wakulla County's exceptions. The DEP recommends that the project be certified to allow for the construction and operation of Purdom Unit 8 and for the construction, modification and maintenance of supporting facilities associated with the new unit and facilities at the Samuel O. Purdom Generating Station subject to the final Conditions of Certification, pursuant to the Florida Electrical Power Plant Siting Act, Section 403.501, et seq., F. S.

(See Attachment 2, Pages 1-180)