AES CORPORATION Siting a Super Clean Power Plant in New Hampshire CLF Ventures assisted the AES Corporation with the siting of a 720 MW combined-cycle natural gas fired power plant at a proposed eco-industrial park in Londonderry, New Hampshire. CLFV also conducted a strategic environmental review of plant design and made recommendations to minimize the environmental impacts. In addition, CLF Ventures advised AES on a permitting strategy and ways to strengthen local support for the project. As part of this effort, CLFV established a community siting collaborative panel through which CLFV interfaced for all plant permitting needs. This collaborative also provided a forum for information about the proposed plant, its health impacts, benefits, visual and noise impacts. The collaborative, which consisted of environmentalists, community residents, local and state officials, met regularly for one year and reached consensus on noise, pollutants, and environmental offsets. CLFV also provided continual, multi-lingual education and outreach to all residents, business owners, elected officials, community leaders and others. The resulting facility, which began full-scale operations in 2002, has several environmental upsides, including: Avoiding impact on sensitive wetlands. Recycling wastewater for cooling (this avoids withdrawal of 4,000,000 gallons per day from potable water sources). Significantly cleaner emissions than coal and oil burning plants. Compared to New Hampshire's existing oil and coal plants, the AES natural gas plant would emit: 1/225th the sulfur dioxide (SO2), 1/30th the nitrogen oxides (NOx), Virtually no mercury, and Virtually no lead. Converting about 60% of the fuel's heating value to electricity, compared to about 35% in older plants (this makes it almost twice as efficient). Getting projects off the ground is no small feat: project proponents are required to clear several hurdles before they can get started, such as obtaining the appropriate operational permits and securing project funding. But launching a business venture doesn't end there. Sustainable projects take extra steps to ensure their staying power by: Seeking to decrease environmental impact and maximize environmental benefit; Developing a positive relationship with the surrounding community and project stakeholders; and Creating a communications strategy that is comprehensive and straightforward. CLF Ventures helps these types of projects take their first steps.