By Jerry Markon
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 21, 2005; B04
Federal regulators ordered a further reopening of Mirant Corp.'s troubled Alexandria power plant yesterday, saying the coal-fired facility is necessary to prevent a potential blackout that would leave key parts of the District in the dark.
Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman said the plant's shutdown in August because of environmental problems created an "emergency situation" because it is one of only three sources of energy for much of the District. Mirant has reopened the plant on a limited basis, but Bodman said that would not be enough to prevent a blackout if the other two energy sources -- two key transmission lines -- failed.
Bodman's order requires Mirant to maintain all of the plant's five operating units at peak readiness and run them if other electricity supplies to the District are down. Mirant is currently operating one unit on a limited basis.
"This order will provide the level of electricity reliability necessary to keep Washingtonians safe and our national government running, while minimizing any environmental impact from the power station," Bodman said.
Federal officials acknowledged that it is highly unlikely that both of the transmission lines that provide power to the District would fail simultaneously, but they said at least one of the lines has been down 41 times since 2000 for maintenance or mechanical problems. With both lines out -- and no Mirant plant -- the resulting blackout would last at least 28 hours and affect areas including the central business district, Georgetown and key federal institutions, officials said.
"That is unacceptable," Kevin Kolevar, director of the Energy Department's Office of Electricity and Energy Assurance, told reporters during a conference call yesterday.
The decision drew immediate criticism from activists and officials in Alexandria who have been campaigning to shut down the plant as a health hazard. Neighbors have complained for years about what they believe to be high levels of contaminants emanating from the plant, which also provides electricity to Maryland but not to Virginia.
"I'm sorry the Department of Energy is not a little more concerned about some of the environmental issues. They're basically saying energy production is more critical," said Alexandria City Council member Andrew H. Macdonald (D). He added that he found one "silver lining: At least they recognize that there is an environmental problem."
Longtime Alexandria resident Elizabeth Chimento, who has helped lead the effort against the plant, said she is "very concerned. For 30 years, the neighborhood surrounding this plant has been impacted by very serious pollutants, and even one more day jeopardizes our health."
But the D.C. Public Service Commission portrayed the Energy Department's action as vital to supporting the Washington power grid. The commission's petition, filed with federal regulators, led to yesterday's action.
"We think the Department of Energy has done what is minimally necessary to protect the electric reliability of the District," said Richard Beverly, the commission's general counsel.
Steve Arabia, a spokesman for Mirant, said the company is reviewing the order and will work with federal regulators to develop "the most feasible compliance plan." Mirant has 10 days to submit a report detailing how it will comply with the order.
Mirant decided Aug. 24 to shut down the plant in response to an order from Virginia officials to cut potentially harmful pollution. The directive by the state Department of Environmental Quality came after the agency reviewed an analysis that showed that some pollutants in the plant's vicinity were sometimes present at levels considerably higher than federal rules allow.
Virginia officials did not object to the limited reopening in September, and they are monitoring Mirant's efforts to solve the environmental problems and reopen the plant full time.
Bill Hayden, a Department of Environmental Quality spokesman, said the agency will review yesterday's federal order. "We really don't know yet what specific air quality issues there might be," he said.
