Electrical Generation

Cambria County | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania

New Marcellus-fired Electric Plant Coming to Cambria County, PA
June 9, 2015June 9, 2015

We’ve heard plenty about Marcellus-powered electric generating plants in northeastern Pennsylvania (see Panda Power Building 3rd Marcellus-Fired Electric Plant in PA and Invenergy Buys Land in NEPA for Natgas Electric Generating Plant and 7 Small Marcellus-Powered Electric Plants Coming to NEPA). We’ve also heard about a string of new Marcellus-powered electric plants coming to West Virginia (see Big News: 3 More Marcellus-Powered Electric Plants Coming to WV). Plus there’s a batch of plants planned for Ohio, to tap into Utica Shale gas (see List of 6 New Natural Gas-Fired Electric Plants Coming to Ohio). We haven’t heard much about southwestern or south central PA as a potential site for a new electric generating plant…until now. A Boston company plans to build a new Marcellus-powered electric plant in Cambria County…
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Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania

Scranton Newspaper Endorses Jessup Marcellus-Powered Electric Plant
June 1, 2015August 26, 2015

Must be a major advertiser has jerked pretty hard on the Scranton Times-Tribune’s chain because the newspaper that rarely supports anything to do with drilling is all of a sudden singing the praises of the planned Marcellus gas-powered electric generating plant in Jessup, PA being planned by Invenergy (see Newspaper Admits PA Gas-Powered Electric Plant Will Pollute Less). The editorial board of the Times-Tribune penned an editorial that is a full-throated endorsement of the project. The editorial says, in part…
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Air Quality | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania | Regulation

Newspaper Admits PA Gas-Powered Electric Plant Will Pollute Less
May 28, 2015May 28, 2015

The world has gone topsy turvy. The anti-drilling Scranton Times-Tribune, normally a purveyor of half-truths when it comes to shale drilling, pipelines and the Marcellus Shale in general, has a story that grudgingly admits that no, a planned electric generating plant in Jessup, PA won’t pollute the air nearly as much as anti-drillers say it will. We’ve written a number of articles about Invenergy’s plan to build a 1500-megawatt plant (largest in the state) in the borough of Jessup (Lackawanna County), near Scranton, on an 80-acre former coal mine and landfill site (see MDN’s stories here). The plant will use clean burning Marcellus Shale gas to produce cheap electricity. The main objection to the plant is the possibility of air pollution. Experts interviewed by the Times-Tribune say you’re more likely to breathe harmful air pollution living downwind from a major highway than you are living downwind of this proposed plant…
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Economic Impact | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Regulation | Trumbull County

Lordstown $800M Gas-Powered Electric Plant Gets Village Approval
May 27, 2015May 27, 2015

In April 2014, MDN told you about a proposal from Clean Energy Future to build an $800 million electric generation plant in Lordstown (Trumbull County), OH. The plant will be fired by natural gas from the Utica and Marcellus (see Clean Energy Plans NatGas Electric Generation Plant in Lordstown). At that time, the plan was to begin construction in December 2015 and complete the plant by the end of 2018. There was some initial resistance to the location, so Clean Energy Future changed the location and moved up the timeline to build it (see Lordstown Gas-Powered Electric Plant Moves Up Construction Timeline). Last night the last major hurdle was scaled when the Lordstown Village Council gave the project a big thumbs up. The Village Council voted to offer the project a number of incentives and actively worked to get the deal done–not something you observe very often with these kinds of projects…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Education | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania

PA Teacher Pollutes Minds of 7th Graders Against Electric Plant
May 4, 2015May 4, 2015

An anti-drilling teacher is brainwashing her seventh grade students into opposing the Invenergy natural gas-fired electric plant proposed for Jessup. Using lessons she’s teaching her students about the great Aristotle and his teachings on rhetoric, Ms. Grace Piconi-Augelli claims her students can sniff out fraud and subterfuge when they see it–and they (or rather Ms. Piconi-Augelli) see it with Invenergy and their plan to use clean burning Marcellus Shale gas to power what will be the state’s largest natural gas-fired electric plant. Ms. Piconi-Augelli is teaching her students about rhetoric, but apparently she skimmed over the section on Aristotle’s teachings on logic…
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania

Fossil Fuel Hatred Run Amok: Sierra Club Against Clean Air in PA
April 29, 2015May 4, 2015

Converting from burning coal to burning natural gas to produce electricity is, according to the vast majority of Americans, a good thing to do. Coal burns much dirtier than natgas–it’s a plain and simple fact. We’re not slamming coal or saying we should stop burning coal–we’re just keepin’ it real. When Invenergy announced they planned to build Pennsylvania’s largest gas-fired electric plant near Scranton, in Jessup Borough (Lackawanna County), PA, and fire it with cheap, abundant and clean-burning Marcellus Shale gas, most folks welcomed it (see Marcellus Gas to Power Combined-Cycle Electricity Plant in NE PA). Oh, there’s always a small minority who oppose such plans (see Gas-Powered Electric Plant to be Built “on Thousands of People”). You would think so-called environmentalists would be the first in line to support such a project because it makes the air cleaner. But then, you would be wrong. A classic case in point is the Sierra Club–an organization that exists to fundraise. The Sierra Club is against the Jessup electric plant project. Why? Because it will “encourage further natural gas hydraulic fracturing in Northeast Pennsylvania”…
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CNG/LNG | Electrical Generation | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Research

IHS CERAWeek Prediction: Marcellus will Produce 30 Bcf/d by 2035
April 29, 2015April 28, 2015

A useful update and prediction on how much natural gas will be produced in the Marcellus by the early 2020s and eventually, by 2035 at the IHS CERAWeek conference in Houston last week. In addition, another analyst outlined the pipeline/midstream situation in the northeast. You’ll want to read what they had to say about how much gas will be produced in the Marcellus, and where it will get used/sold…
Read More “IHS CERAWeek Prediction: Marcellus will Produce 30 Bcf/d by 2035”
CNG/LNG | Electrical Generation | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Research

Navigant: US Natgas Output Will Rise to 110 Bcf/d by 2035
April 29, 2015April 28, 2015

The energy practice for global consulting firm Navigant recently published a new report titled “North American Natural Gas Market Outlook, Year-End 2014” that examines the state of the natural gas industry and provides forecasts for supply and demand through 2035. Among the highlights: Navigant says U.S. natural gas supply will increase from 72 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2015 to nearly 110 Bcf/d by 2035. Navigant says the big users of all that extra production will be LNG export facilities and electric generating plants that will be built new or converted from burning coal…
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Brooke County | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Marcellus-Fired Electric Plant Seeks Approval from PJM
April 23, 2015April 23, 2015

In early March, MDN told you about plans by a father and son team to build not one but four Marcellus gas-powered electric generating plants in West Virginia (see Big News: 3 More Marcellus-Powered Electric Plants Coming to WV). Although they haven’t fully committed yet, Andrew and Matthew Dorn, the father/son behind the projects, are hurrying to file regulatory paperwork for at least one of the new proposed plants (in Brooke County) to beat a deadline…
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Electrical Generation | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania | Regulation

Invenergy Gets Notice of Violation in PA for Disturbing 3 Mud Puddles
April 22, 2015May 4, 2015

One more twist in what is shaping up to be a very long process to build the state’s largest electric generating plant powered by Marcellus Shale gas. Invenergy hopes to build the 1500-megawatt plant in the borough of Jessup (Lackawanna County), near Scranton, on an 80-acre former coal mine and landfill site (see UGI to Feed Jessup, PA Electric Plant with Marcellus Shale Gas). The project was announced in 2013. Part of the evaluation process for the site is to determine if there’s nasty stuff left over from the landfill that needs to be moved. Invenergy hired a company to drill some test holes to analyze what’s down there. As part of drilling those holes, the company hired “disturbed” three wetlands areas. In other words, they pushed some dirt around in three mud puddles/swamps. Invenergy recognized the error and immediately notified the Dept. of Environmental Protection who has now, nine months later, issued a notice of violation to Invenergy for disturbing the mud puddles. It remains to be seen how costly the error was…
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Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Statewide OH

List of 6 New Natural Gas-Fired Electric Plants Coming to Ohio
April 9, 2015April 9, 2015

There are “at least” six natural gas-fired electric generating plants planned for Ohio. Yesterday we told you that one of the plants, in Carroll County, will break ground this week (see New Utica-Powered Electric Plant Breaks Ground in Carrollton, OH). Advanced Power Services’ Carroll County Energy LLC is spending $900 million to build an electric plant north of Carrollton. What about the other five. Who’s building them and where?…
Read More “List of 6 New Natural Gas-Fired Electric Plants Coming to Ohio”
Carroll County | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Utica Shale

New Utica-Powered Electric Plant Breaks Ground in Carrollton, OH
April 8, 2015April 8, 2015

A new Utica Shale-powered electric generating plant to be built in Carroll County, OH was first announced back in 2013 (see New NatGas Powered Electric Plant Coming to Carroll County, OH). Advanced Power Services’ Carroll County Energy LLC plans to plunk down $900 million to build an electric plant north of Carrollton. Good news: the company now has all of its approvals and will break ground later this week…
Read More “New Utica-Powered Electric Plant Breaks Ground in Carrollton, OH”
Brooke County | Economic Impact | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Regulation | West Virginia

Brooke County, WV Marcellus-Powered Electric Plant Plan Advances
April 6, 2015April 5, 2015

A month ago MDN brought you the big news that the father and son team building a $615 million, 549 megawatt electrical generating plant near Moundsville, WV that will be powered by Marcellus Shale gas are planning to build three more of them–all in West Virginia (see Big News: 3 More Marcellus-Powered Electric Plants Coming to WV). Two of the three new plants will, if built, be located in Brooke County, WV. Last month the Brooke County Commission signed two memorandums of understanding with Energy Solutions Consortium (father and son Andrew and Matthew Dorn) to agree to a plan to let the Dorns build the plants and then sell them to the county, leasing them back to run them–a plan called a PILOT plan, or “payment in lieu of taxes.” The plan allows the Dorns to avoid paying prohibitively high property taxes on the plants while still generating a big, fat payment to the county and local school district. Last week the local board of education and town council also signed on to the plan, an important next step in making the project a reality…
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Electrical Generation | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | UGI Energy Services

UGI to Feed Jessup, PA Electric Plant with Marcellus Shale Gas
April 6, 2015October 17, 2015

As MDN has previously chronicled, Chicago-based Invenergy hopes to build what will be the largest (to date) electric generating plant in the state of Pennsylvania powered by natural gas (see Public Hearing on NEPA Proposed Marcellus-Powered Electric Plant). Invenergy hopes to build the 1300-megawatt plant (incorrectly listed as 1500 megawatts in the excerpt below) in the borough of Jessup (Lackawanna County), near Scranton. The project has it’s opponents, some of whom make some outrageous claims (see Gas-Powered Electric Plant to be Built “on Thousands of People”). There’s been some important progress with this project. UGI, the local electric and gas utility company, has just announced they will upgrade 19 miles of pipeline and build 3 miles of new pipeline to feed the proposed plant with yummy, cheap, clean-burning Marcellus Shale gas…
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Alternative Energy | Dominion Energy | Economic Impact | Electrical Generation | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Jobs

Virginia’s Largest Electric Plant to be Powered by Marcellus Gas
March 27, 2015March 27, 2015

Yesterday Dominion, a huge natural gas and electric utility as well as a midstream company, announced plans to build the State of Virginia’s largest natural gas powered electric generating plant–in Greensville County, VA. (By the way, Dominion won the Award for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility at the Northeast Oil & Gas Awards on Wednesday in Pittsburgh. Well done!) The $1 billion project will produce 1,600 megawatts of electricity using combined-cycle technology–enough electricity to power 400,000 homes. Dominion will use Marcellus Shale gas to power the plant, provided by Williams’ Transco pipeline. The plant will also be fed by a second Marcellus Shale pipeline–Dominion’s own Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a $5 billion, 550-mile pipeline slated to run from West Virginia through Virginia and into to North Carolina (see Dominion Commits to Major New Marcellus/Utica Pipeline Project). Between just these two projects, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and the Greensville County electric plant, Dominion is pumping an astounding $6 billion into the economy of the Mid-Atlantic region, made possible by the miracle of fracking and the amazing Marcellus Shale. In addition to building the natgas-powered electric plant, Dominion also plans to build a large-scale solar project at the Greensville County site, which will make so-called environmentalists happy. Perhaps a spoonful of solar sugar will help the natgas medicine go down–in a most delightful way…
Read More “Virginia’s Largest Electric Plant to be Powered by Marcellus Gas”
Electrical Generation | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide MD | Transco | Williams

Williams Gets FERC Approval for 11-Mile Pipeline in NE Maryland
March 20, 2015March 20, 2015

Good news! Williams announced yesterday that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved their Transco pipeline application to expand the Transco system and construct an 11-mile pipeline lateral connecting Transco to an electric power generating facility in Cecil County, Maryland. The “Rock Springs expansion project” will transport 192,000 dekatherms of natural gas per day to Old Dominion Electric Cooperative’s soon-to-be-built Wildcat Point Generation Facility. Wildcat will generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity–enough to power 390,000 homes in the region…
Read More “Williams Gets FERC Approval for 11-Mile Pipeline in NE Maryland”