Newspaper Public Service Announcement (published in English and Spanish)
The following announcement is a requirement of New Mexico air quality regulations.
Los Alamos National Laboratory will be applying to the New Mexico Environment Department in June 2025 for a significant permit revision to the existing power plant air quality permit (2195B-M3R4). The exact location for the facility known as Technical Area 3 Power Plant is at TA-3, SM-22 on Diamond Drive in the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The approximate location of this facility is 1 mile south of the intersection of Diamond Drive and Trinity Drive in Los Alamos County. The TA-3 Power Plant is currently permitted to operate boilers to produce steam for use as a heating source in approximately 40 buildings in TA-3 and a Combustion Gas Turbine Generator (CGTG) that produces electricity. The Laboratory is owned by the Department of Energy and operated by Triad National Security, LLC.
For this significant permit revision, only the existing boiler TA-3-22-1, is planned for permanent shutdown during Phase 1 of Permit 2195B-M3R4. Boilers TA-3-22-2 and TA-3-22-3 (Boilers #2 and #3) are planned for continued operation and each is rated at a capacity of 178.5 MMBtu/hr. The construction and installation of two new auxiliary boilers, unit numbers TA-3-22-4 (Boiler #4) and TA-3-22-5 (Boiler #5, each rated at a capacity of 72.3 MMBtu/hr has been completed as part of the 2018 NSR permit. The Combustion Gas Turbine Generator (CGTG), TA-3-22-CT-1, will not be converted to a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system and Phase 3 as currently permitted for construction will not be completed. The revision also requests that the combustion turbine continue to operate in a range of 80% to 100% load. The infrastructure within the main power plant will consist of two older boilers at 178.5 MMBtu each, two auxiliary boilers rated at 72.3 MMBtu/hr each, and the existing combustion turbine for electrical and steam generation.
The purpose of this significant permit revision for the LANL TA-3 Power Plant is to request operational flexibility to allow two existing boilers (Boilers #2 and #3) that were installed in the 1950’s to serve as standby boilers for two newer auxiliary boilers. Boilers #2 and #3 will not be fully operational at the same time. Each of the four boilers combusts natural gas (fuel oil only used as a standby fuel) to provide steam. The CGTG is a simple cycle turbine that uses natural gas and produces electric power only. This significant permit revision does not include installation of any new equipment. Requested operational flexibility to operate the four boilers and the turbine in various operating scenarios results in emissions that are different from the original Phase 1 estimates. Overall, there will be no changes to the facility’s major/minor status for both PSD and Title V.
The estimated maximum quantities of any regulated air contaminant will be as follows in pound per hour (pph) and tons per year (tpy) and could change slightly during the course of the Department’s review:
Pollutant Pounds per hour Tons per year
Particulate Matter (PM) 11.161 pph* 9.383 tpy*
PM10 11.161 pph* 9.383 tpy*
PM2.5 9.207 pph* 9.336 tpy*
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) 26.503 pph* 3.384 tpy*
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) 59.465 pph* 87.199 tpy*
Carbon Monoxide (CO) 49.718 pph* 97.449 tpy*
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) 3.206 pph* 4.512 tpy*
Total sum of all Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) 1.428 pph 2.381 tpy
Toxic Air Pollutant (TAP) 0.318 pph –
Green House Gas Emissions as Total CO2e – 320,448 tpy
* Estimated hourly and annual start up, shut down and maintenance emissions have been added per public notice requirements.
The standard and maximum operating schedules will be 24 hours per day, 7 days a week and a maximum of 52 weeks per year.
The operator and owner of the Facility is: Triad National Security, LLC, P.O. Box 1663, MS J978, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 87545, operator of Los Alamos National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy, 3747 West Jemez Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544. Please direct questions for the Laboratory to the Environmental Communication & Public Involvement Office point of contact, Steve Horak, at 505-551-4514, envoutreach@lanl.gov, or Environmental Communication & Public Involvement, P.O. Box 1163, MS K491, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545.
If you have any comments about the construction or operation of this facility, and you want your comments to be made as part of the permit review process, you must submit your comments in writing to this address: Permit Programs Manager; New Mexico Environment Department; Air Quality Bureau; 525 Camino de los Marquez, Suite 1; Santa Fe, New Mexico; 87505-1816. Other comments and questions may be submitted verbally. (505) 476-4300; 1 800 224-7009.
With your comments, please refer to the company name and facility name, or send a copy of this notice along with your comments. This information is necessary since the Department may have not yet received the permit application. Please include a legible return mailing address. Once the Department has completed its preliminary review of the application and its air quality impacts, the Department’s notice will be published in the legal section of a newspaper circulated near the facility location.
PUBLISHED IN THE LOS ALAMOS DAILY POST THURSDAY MAY 8, 2025