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Panda Hummel Power Plant Loses FERC Appeal re UGI Sunbury Pipeline

Here’s a challenge to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) pipeline certificate we don’t fully comprehend. In 2018 the Panda Hummel Marcellus-fired power plant in Snyder County, PA roared to life (see Marcellus-Fired Panda Hummel Electric Plant Roars to Life in PA). Panda Hummel is one of the largest coal-to-gas conversion projects in the country, constructing a large 1,124-megawatt Marcellus gas-fired electric plant on the site of a retired coal-fired plant near Shamokin Dam in Snyder County. The plant is fed by a 34.4-mile pipeline built and maintained by UGI, called the Sunbury Pipeline (see UGI Ready to Begin Flowing Gas via $150M Sunbury Pipeline in PA). The Sunbury Pipeline was permitted under and is overseen by FERC. Yet now Panda Hummel is trying to rescind FERC’s authority over the pipeline, seeking to get the pipeline’s certificate to operate revoked. Why?
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Marcellus-Fired Panda Hummel Electric Plant Roars to Life in PA

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. Final testing is now underway at the facility, which was supposed to go online in February but is now scheduled to begin operations in May. Here’s an inside look at the complicated process of bringing a new power plant online…
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PA DEP Sec. Visits Snyder County Gas-Fired Power Plant; 2nd Plant?

Yesterday Patrick McDonnell, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection, went on a field trip and took a tour of the Panda Power Funds Hummel Station natural gas power plant site in Synder County. In February 2015, Panda announced a joint venture with Sunbury Generation to build a whopping 1,124-megawatt plant on the site of a recently retired coal-fired plant near Shamokin Dam in Snyder County (see Panda Power Building 3rd Marcellus-Fired Electric Plant in PA). Since that time the project has made steady progress and is now 88% complete. Panda said on the tour yesterday it expects to complete the plant and begin full operations in February of next year–just a little over three months from now. UGI has already built a 34-mile pipeline to feed the plant (see UGI Ready to Begin Flowing Gas via $150M Sunbury Pipeline in PA). Sec. McDonnell is tickled pink (or should we say natgas flame blue) with the project, and said so yesterday. Perhaps the biggest news to come from the tour yesterday is that Panda and Sunbury Generation have partnered for a second gas-fired power plant–right next door to the Hummel Station plant…
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Virginia Marcellus Power Plant Now Online, Boosts Local NatGas Price

Marcellus Shale gas is now powering a Panda Power Funds electric generation plant supplying electricity for 778,000 homes in the Washington, DC metro area. Panda announced that its 778-megawatt “Stonewall” generating station in Loudoun County, Virginia is now online producing electricity for Northern Virginia/District of Columbia customers. MDN first had its eye on this project in November 2014 when we brought you the news that South Jersey Gas had won the contract to provide Marcellus Shale gas to the plant when built (see NJ Utility to Provide Marcellus Gas to Virginia Power Plant). South Jersey Gas is using the Dominion Transmission pipeline to get the gas there. Dominion upgraded their system last year in order to flow more gas to the project (see FERC OKs 6 Dominion Compressor Station Upgrades in PA, MD, VA). Incredibly, the Panda Stonewall project is estimated to contribute a mind-blowing $7.1 billion to the Virginia economy during its recent construction and the first 10 years of operation. No wonder communities love these natgas-fired electric plant projects! Since Stonewall going online, the spot price of natural gas traded at the nearby Dominion South trading hub has gone up 50% from prices of gas traded there a year earlier…
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Panda’s Marcellus Gas Power Plants Fined for Using Too Much Water

Panda Power FundsOver the past two months Panda Power Funds has brought online the first two built-from-scratch-to-use-Marcellus-gas electric plants, both in northeast Pennsylvania (see First NatGas Power Plant in Marcellus, Panda Liberty, Goes Online and Panda’s 2nd Marcellus-Powered Electric Plant Goes Online in PA). Before Panda owned and built the “Liberty” and “Patriot” power plant projects, they were first owned and begun by Moxie Energy. Moxie secured all of the necessary permits and then sold the two projects to Panda (see Moxie Liberty Sells PA Electric Plant Project to Panda Power and Panda Power Buys Rights for 2nd Marcellus-Fueled Electric Plant). Panda is also building a third power gen project by converting a former coal-fired plant into burning Marcellus gas (see Panda Power Building 3rd Marcellus-Fired Electric Plant in PA). Word has come out that when Panda was building the two Moxie-purchased plants, Liberty and Patriot, they used more water than the original plan called for. Panda says Moxie’s original plan didn’t allow for enough water needed to properly test the plants. The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) has been in talks with Panda about all three of their projects and the water overages for each. News reports say that Panda has worked out a deal with the SRBC to pay the agency a $97,000 fine for using too much water…
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Panda’s 2nd Marcellus-Powered Electric Plant Goes Online in PA

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Panda Power Patriot Plant – Montgomery, PA

Last month Panda Power Funds held the official commissioning ceremony to launch the operation of Panda Liberty, a 829-megawatt Marcellus gas-fired electric generating plant in Asylum Township, Bradford County, PA (see First NatGas Power Plant in Marcellus, Panda Liberty, Goes Online). It was the world’s first built-from-scratch electric generating plant built specifically to use Marcellus Shale gas. Yesterday Panda Power commissioned the world’s second built-from-scratch-to-use-Marcellus-gas electric generating plant: Panda Patriot. Officials from across Pennsylvania joined Panda Power for the ceremony of their second 829-megawatt plant, this one in Lycoming County. One person attending described the reaction of those at the ceremony: “They were in awe.” As well they should be! This one plant is expected to contribute around $5.85 BILLION to the local economy. The economic impact will be staggering. (You see why these natgas-fired electric plants are such a big deal?) Here’s what went down yesterday at the Panda Patriot party…
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Panda Power Raises $710M to Fund 3rd Marcellus Power Plant

Panda Power FundsLast week saw a flurry of activity for the official ribbon-cutting at Panda Power’s very first built-from-scratch Marcellus gas-powered electric plant going online in Bradford County (see First NatGas Power Plant in Marcellus, Panda Liberty, Goes Online). We were so distracted with that momentous event, we almost missed another important Panda announcement: Panda finished securing $710 million worth of investments to fund its third Marcellus gas-fired plant–a huge plant (bigger than Panda Liberty), located in Snyder County, PA. We previously wrote about “Panda Hummel,” a 1,124 megawatt power station that will convert a former coal-fired plant to burn natural gas (see Update on Panda Power’s Huge Marcellus-Powered PA Electric Plant). Hummel will generate enough electricity to power 1 million homes! You can have all the great plans and ideas in the world, but they don’t get built without money. Panda has now raised the money to build Hummel, by selling debt to do it…
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First NatGas Power Plant in Marcellus, Panda Liberty, Goes Online

panda-libertyIn May 2014 Panda Power Funds broke ground on building an 829-megawatt Marcellus gas-fired electric generating plant in Asylum Township, Bradford County, PA (see Panda Liberty Breaks Ground on Bradford, PA Electric Plant). In June of this year, the plant was finally completed and went online (see Panda Power’s 2 PA Marcellus-Fired Electric Plants Complete!). However, the official ribbon-cutting ceremony to recognize the proud achievement that the very first built-from-scratch-plant-to-utilitize-Marcellus-Shale-gas happened yesterday. And what a soirée it was! Panda Liberty, as it’s called, generates enough electricity to power 1 million homes. The new plant is, according to Siemens (which helped build it), one of the most advanced electric generating plants in the world. Here’s more details, along with what happened at yesterday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony…
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Panda Power’s 2 PA Marcellus-Fired Electric Plants Complete!

Panda Power FundsIn August 2013, Moxie Energy of Vienna, VA sold the permits/rights to build a new Marcellus gas-powered electric generating plant in Bradford County, PA to Panda Power Funds of Dallas, TX (see Moxie Liberty Sells PA Electric Plant Project to Panda Power). The project was renamed from Moxie Liberty to Panda Liberty. A few months later, in December 2013, Moxie sold a second Marcellus-gas fired electric plant project to Panda, this one slated to be built in Lycoming County, PA (see Panda Power Buys Rights for 2nd Marcellus-Fueled Electric Plant). That project was renamed from Moxie Patriot to Panda Patriot. Panda contracted with Gemma Power Systems (Connecticut) to build both 829-megawatt plants. We have some terrific news to share: Gemma reports completing both facilities and has turned them over to Panda to begin operation!…
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Update on Panda Power’s Huge Marcellus-Powered PA Electric Plant

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Panda Power’s Rendering of New Hummel Plant – click image for larger version

In February MDN told you that Panda Power Funds, a private equity firm located in Dallas, TX already committed to building two 829-megawatt electric generating plants in Pennsylvania, was partnering with Sunbury Generation to build a whopping 1,000-megawatt plant on the site of a recently retired coal-fired plant near Shamokin Dam in Snyder County, PA (see Panda Power Building 3rd Marcellus-Fired Electric Plant in PA). It is, by all accounts, one of the largest coal-to-gas conversion projects in the country. Yesterday Panda released more details about the project. It will actually be 1,124 megawatts. Panda has contracted with Bechtel and Siemens Energy to build the plant, which, when up and running, will provide enough electricity to power 1 million homes. Here’s the latest on Panda’s “Hummel Station” project that will be fed by Marcellus Shale gas, including the tech being used to build it…
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