Big Cajun I

Big Cajun I was a proposed coal plant in New Roads, Louisiana. In January 2011, the project's air permit expired and the company took no action to extend it.

According to the Sierra Club, Louisiana Generating is seeking to replace two of its natural gas turbines at Big Cajun I with a 230 megawatt (MW) coal-fired unit. A public hearing was held on July 12, 2007. Construction is projected to take approximately three years.

In April 2008, the Sierra Club and other groups filed a lawsuit challenging the Louisiana DEQ's decision to issue the air permit for the plant. The Sierra Club also notified Louisiana Generating of its intent to sue the company under the Clean Air Act for exceeding the maximum allowance for mercury, lead, and arsenic emissions.

According to a Sierra Club update in July 2008, the lawsuit is still proceeding. Louisiana Generating has asked the court to review its ruling to stop any construction until the case is resolved and a hearing was scheduled for August 2008. On July 10, 2008 the Louisiana DEQ issued the draft LPDES/water discharge permit for the plant.

As of April 2009, the Sierra Club lawsuit is still proceeding. Both parties' briefings were completed in March.

In a January 2010 Sierra Club visit to the Big Cajun site, officials from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality noted construction had not yet begun on the new boiler due to 'legal reasons.'

Project Details
Sponsor: NRG Energy Location: New Roads, Louisiana Capacity: 230 MW Type: Circulating fluidized bed Projected in service: 2010 Status: Permit expired 2011

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Big Cajun II Unit 4
 * Louisiana and coal
 * Carbon Capture and Storage
 * Existing U.S. Coal Plants
 * US proposed coal plants (both active and cancelled)
 * Coal plants cancelled in 2011
 * State-by-state guide to information on coal in the United States (or click on the map)