CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Controversy continues over a new power plant that could be coming to Chesterfield County.
Earlier this month, Virginia's Air Board received a report on a "controversial permit" for Dominion Energy's proposed Chesterfield Reliability Center, a 1,000-megawatt power plant that would be used as means of generating electricity in cases of extreme weather.
State law defines the project as "controversial," requiring a public hearing and other criteria, because it is a new fossil-fuel generating facility with a capacity of 500 megawatts or more.
Climate activist groups Third Act and Chesapeake Climate Action Network say the project is more than just controversial by state law.
According to the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, the proposed pollution output, based on the report, would be more than 2 million tons of CO2 equivalent, a full 13% increase in Dominion's total emissions in its entire service territory, including North Carolina.
Glen Besa, a Chesterfield County resident with Third Act said because the plant would be built adjacent to the Chesterfield Power Station by the James River, residents in the area will suffer from increased pollutants.
"The neighborhood nearby has suffered with 80 years of coal plant emissions, and they deserve a break," Besa said. "But instead, they're going to get a 1,000 megawatt gas plant."
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Plans for the plant include six black-start emergency generators and eight fuel storage tanks. Proposed plans call the for plant to be a "peaker plant," meaning it would be used in cases of extreme weather, like a cold snap, which can cause serious demand for energy resources and put a strain on pre-existing gas supplies.
Most peaker plants run around 10% of the time or less, but according to Dominion's air pollution permit for the project, it would run roughly 37% of the time.
“They’re saying it’s going to only run part-time. But it’s going to run over 30% of the time, which really means that it’s going to run a lot," Besa said. "And, by their own permit, it would be 2-million metric tons per year, which is a lot of air pollution. A lot of climate pollution.”
Jeremy Slayton, a spokesperson with Dominion Energy, said in a statement to CBS 6:
"The 37% capacity factor is what we are applying as the maximum run time, but it is not the expected run time. The expected is 15-20%, but we need the flexibility so the facility can operate when our customers need it the most."
"The Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center is all about reliability and keeping our customers’ lights on – especially on the hottest and coldest days of the year. We’re also all in on renewables," Slayton wrote. "We’re building the largest offshore wind project in North America; we have the second largest solar fleet in the nation, and we’re building battery storage in communities across Virginia. In fact, over the next 15 years, more than 85% of the new power generation we’re building is zero-carbon – offshore wind, solar, battery storage and small modular reactors."
"But offshore wind only works 50% of the time, solar about 25% and batteries only store electricity for 4-6 hours," Slayton continued. "That’s not going to keep the lights on 24/7, 365. We need a balanced energy mix, with renewables and always-ready natural gas working hand-in-hand. As customer demand nearly doubles over the next couple of decades, we’re going to need more reliable power on the hottest and coldest days, not less."
Climate activists like Besa say the plans fly in the face of the Virginia Clean Economy Act passed in 2020, which would require Dominion to be fossil-fuel free by 2045. The Virginia Clean Economy Act does allow Dominion Energy to petition to the State Corporation Commission to keep certain power stations open past 2045.
“Climate change is happening in everyone’s backyard. And whether it’s a power plant here or somewhere else. If it’s burning fossil fuel, it’s creating a problem for climate change.”
There will be a hearing on the future of the plant next year.
Construction on the plant could start as early as 2025.
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