The information provided below will help you understand and navigate through the regulatory environment in Louisiana.
Number of CHP Sites: 59
Installed Megawatts: 5.7 GW
Sample Louisiana Organizations Using CHP
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Industrial
- Calpine - Carville Energy Center
- Occidental Chemical Corp
- Citgo Petroleum Corp
- Air Liquide America Corp / BASF Corporation
- Chevron U.S.A., Inc.
- ExxonMobil Corp
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Education
- Tulane University
- Louisiana State University
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Electric Industry Restructuring Status
In December 2001, the Public Service Commission issued two orders in regards to electric industry deregulation. The first order dealt with cogeneration and plant construction. The second order declined to implement retail access. The PSC will continue to study restructuring and retail access as well as monitor its neighbors and federal restructuring legislation.
Interconnection & Net Metering Regulations
In November 2005, the Louisiana Public Service Commission (PSC) issued rules for net metering and the interconnection of net-metered systems (PSC Docket No. R-27558). Louisiana's rules, based on those in place in Arkansas, require publicly-owned utilities and rural electric cooperatives to offer net metering to customers with systems that generate electricity using solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal or biomass resources. (Fuel cells and microturbines that generate electricity entirely derived from renewable resources are eligible.) The rules apply to residential facilities with a maximum capacity of 25 kilowatts (kW) and commercial systems with a maximum capacity of 100 kW.
Exit Fees/Stranded Costs
None.
Siting Requirements
Distributed generation applications with installed capacity greater than 10 MW must register with the Public Service Commission.
Air Emissions Regulations
Minor Source Permitting
Sources with the potential to emit more than 5 tons per year of any criteria pollutant must obtain a minor source permit. The state requires stack testing if the unit has a potential to emit 40 tons or more of NOx in an attainment area and any amount of NOx in a non-attainment area. There is a 20% opacity limit and PM emissions must be less than 0.6 lb/MMBtu.
There is a 30-day public comment period for sources with a potential to emit greater than 100 tons per year of a criteria pollutant. The entire permitting process takes about 180 days, however there is no upper time limit.
New NOx emissions factors for 9 parishes are geared mostly toward retrofitting old equipment because most new equipment should meet these standards.
| Boilers |
| Coal Fired |
0.21 lbs/MMBtu |
| #6 Fuel |
0.18 lbs/MMBtu |
| Fuel Oil Fired |
0.10 lbs/MMBtu |
| Turbines |
| Fuel oil fired, peaking |
0.30 lbs/MMBtu |
| Gas fired, peaking |
0.20 lbs/MMBtu |
| All others |
0.16 lbs/MMBtu |
| Internal Combustion Engines |
| Lean |
4g/hph |
| Rich |
2g/hph |
Exemptions:
- Boilers with max capacity less than 80 MMBtu/hr
- Stationary gas turbines less than 10 MW
- ICE rich-burn less than 300 hp
- ICE lean-burn less than 320 hp in Baton Rouge and less than 1500 in regions of influence
- Gas turbines & ICE used for testing, research or performance verification
- Any source used solely to power a startup point source that fires biomass fuel which accounts for greater than 50% of the heat input monthly
Major NSR/PSD Permitting
A potential to emit 250 tons per year of a criteria pollutant triggers a Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) in attainment areas. 50 tons of NOx or VOCs triggers a New Source Review (NSR) in non-attainment areas.
State Incentives & Grants