Westar Energy now has the go-ahead to build a peaking power plant after Lyon County commissioners unanimously approved the company’s request to rezone 160 acres of land.
The plant, at Roads 200 and S about six miles northeast of Emporia, will use natural gas to generate power during peak power usage times such as heavy-use summer days. Westar Energy announced in August its plans to build the plant, which would cost $333 million, in Lyon County. The plant would increase the county’s assessed valuation by more than $50 million — 24 percent of the tax revenue. The North Lyon County School District would benefit from this revenue, according to Westar.
During Wednesday’s county study session, neighbors of the plant expressed concerns.
Brett Wilson expressed concern for the noise and light pollution.
“There’s going to be light pollution and noise pollution at the least,” Wilson said. “I don’t know what the light is going to do to that.”
Commissioner Marshall Miller and County Zoning Administrator and Flood Plain Manager Steve Samuelson visited a peaking power plant in Sedgwick County on Monday. They said the noise levels were minimal when the plant was running.
“We moved off from a distance, the noise was minimal background noise,” Samuelson said. “The birds were louder than the plant.”
Samuleson said they were barely 100 yards away from the plant when they listened to it.
Vanda Hall was concerned about traffic.
“Traffic on our road is horrific,” Hall said. “There is no speed limit that anybody observes on a county road. I would like to know if this plant goes through what kind of controls you are going to put on the roads.”
Commissioner Bob Davis said the road leading up to the plant will be widened and paved.