A crane appeared at the Mirant power plant Thursday in preparation for a controversial project Alexandria officials fear will lead to increased production and pollution.

For a year, Mirant has sought to merge some of its five smokestacks, forcing the same amount of emissions from its coal-burning power plant out of only two stacks. The move will help the environment, Mirant officials argue, because the stream of emissions will be forced to move faster and will, as a result, shoot higher into the air and be better dispersed.

“We’re trying to be as transparent as we can,” Debra Bolton, Mirant’s assistant general counsel and vice president, told The Examiner. “The purpose [of the stack merge] is not to increase production.”

U.S. Rep. James Moran, a Democrat who represents Alexandria and Arlington, has asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to order Mirant to stop construction.

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“Mirant’s actions are unilateral, disrespectful and in total disregard for the environmental laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Moran said in a statement.

Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality is reviewing Mirant’s construction plans and has yet to reach a conclusion on whether Mirant needs a permit before doing the work, spokesman Bill Hayden said.

When applying for its new operating permit in April, Mirant asked the State Air Pollution Control Board to approve merging the stacks. Alexandria officials argued vehemently against the proposal, concerned Mirant will then move to increase production — and pollution — if the stacks are merged.

The board expects to consider a new operating permit and whether Mirant needs a permit before performing the stack merge this fall, chairman Richard Langford said.

Mirant officials decided to start construction after three independent lawyers advised they didn’t need a permit, Bolton said.

Mirant has a short opportunity to do the work this fall, when less power is needed in the region, she said. The construction will require outages at the plant, which have to be coordinated with the Washington area power grid, she said.

“Waiting longer would be irresponsible,” Bolton said. “This is the environmentally responsible thing to do.”

The $30 million project should be completed by February 2008.

mhegstad@dcexaminer.com