It takes a long time to build a natural gas-fired electric power plant–especially a big one. We began writing about one of the largest coal-to-gas conversion projects in the country, happening in the heart of PA Marcellus country, back in February 2014 (see Panda Power Building 3rd Marcellus-Fired Electric Plant in PA). Panda Power Funds, a private equity firm located in Dallas, TX announced a partnership with Sunbury Generation to build a whopping 1,124-megawatt Marcellus gas-fired electric plant on the site of a retired coal-fired plant near Shamokin Dam in Snyder County, PA. In early April final testing was underway at the facility, and it was supposed to go online in May (see Marcellus-Fired Panda Hummel Electric Plant Roars to Life in PA). Did it actually go online in May? We don’t know and we don’t spot any stories announcing it as online. However, the main contractor building the project, Bechtel, issued a press release last week to announced that the Hummel Station Power Plant is now “completed.” Done. Finished. We suspect that also means it’s now online. The newly minted plant will provide enough electricity to power more than 1 million homes, using Marcellus gas…
