Virginia DEQ Approves Dominion’s Chesterfield Peaker Plant Project

Mixed signals are coming from Virginia's regulatory agencies regarding a gas-fired project in Chesterfield. In June 2023, Dominion Energy announced plans to build four small “peaker” electric generating plants in Chesterfield County near Richmond (see Dominion Plans to Build 1,000-MW Gas Peaker Plant Near Richmond, VA). The Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center (CERC) calls for building four 250-megawatt gas-fired power plants (1,000 MW total) that can jump into action during the coldest and hottest days of the year to help supply enough electricity for 250,000 homes—to keep the lights on because solar and wind are not up to the task. In November 2025, the State Corporation Commission (SCC) finally approved the project. But three weeks later, the SCC canceled its approval so it could consider a last-minute appeal filed by radical green groups (see Va. SCC Unapproves Dominion’s Chesterfield Gas-Fired Plant). However, a day after the SCC withdrew its approval, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) gave its approval for the project.

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