Wise County Plant
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Dominion Resources has proposed a 585-MW coal-fired power plant in Wise County in southwest Virginia.[1] AEP, Virginia Municipal Electric Association #1, and Blue Ridge Power have also invested in the project. This proposed plant, referred to as the Wise County Plant, grew out of a 2004 Virginia General Assembly initiative, sponsored by Virginia State Senator William Wampler.
The plant would be located on the Virginia City reclaimed surface coal mine site, and use Virginia coal and waste coal to fuel a circulating fluidized-bed boiler. In July 2007, Dominion filed an application with the Virginia State Corporation Commission; Dominion hopes to win full regulatory approval of the project by April 2008.[2]
On Sept. 10, 2007, the Sierra Club, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and the Southern Environmental Law Center filed a legal challenge to Dominion’s SCC application, and – together with several other groups – launched a campaign against the project on Sept. 25.[3] Blacksburg, Charlottesville, and Arlington County have passed resolutions opposing the project, and numerous Virginia newspapers have published editorials condemning it.[4] On Nov. 15, 2007, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality issued a draft air permit for the project; the DEQ held a public hearing on the draft permit on Dec. 10, at which over 100 residents expressed opposition to the proposed plant.
On Nov. 30, 2007, the Virginia Air Pollution Board voted 3-1 to request that the utility propose a more environmentally sound project – but did not make any binding decision, and did not specify what alternative project Dominion should adopt.[5] A Dec. 2007 U.S. Forest Service filing with the Virginia DEQ urged Dominion to cut emissions from the proposed plant.[6]
On Dec. 18, 2007, Dominion made a deal with the DEQ and the U.S. Forest Service, agreeing that it would either cut SO2 emissions at the Wise County plant or other plants in the region, or purchase SO2 credits from other companies. A hearing before the Virginia SCC was held on Jan. 8, 2008.[7]
On March 31st, 2008, the SCC approved construction for Dominion's facility. [8]
On May 9, 2008, activists delivered a petition to block the power plant to Dominion's annual shareholder meeting. The document contained 42,400 signatures and stretched a mile long.[9]
On June 25, 2008, the Virginia state Air Pollution Control Board voted 5-0 to approve the final permits required to begin construction on the plant, formally named the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center. The plant will release over 9,000 tons of pollutants and 5.3 million tons of carbon dioxide into the environment every year under the approved permits.[10] According to a statement released by Dominion, the plant is targeted to begin commercial operations by 2012.[11]
Contents
Project Details
Sponsors: Dominion Resources, AEP, Virginia MEA #1, Blue Ridge Power
Location: Virginia City, Wise County, VA
Capacity: 585 MW
Type: Circulating fluidized bed
Projected in service: 2012
Status: Approved
Financing
Citizen Groups
- Wise Energy for Virginia
- Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards, Kathy Selvage, samsva [at] gmail.com
- Appalachian Voices, outreach [at] appvoices.org
- Virginia Sierra Club, Glen Besa, glen.besa [at] sierraclub.org
- Southern Environmental Law Center, webmaster [at] selcva.org
- Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Paul Burman, paul [at] chesapeakeclimate.org
- Co-op America, Yochi Zakai yochi [at] coopamerica.org
Resources
References
- ↑ Wise County Site Chosen For Final Evaluation Of Future Clean Coal Power Station In Virginia, Dominion website, May 11, 2006.
- ↑ Dominion Seeks Approval for Virginia Coal Power Plant, Reuters, July 17, 2007.
- ↑ Environmental Coalition Opposes Power Station, Roanoke Times, September 26, 2007.
- ↑ Arlington County Board Condemns Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plant, GreenMiles.net blog, December 20, 2007.
- ↑ Panel Wants Cleaner-Burning Plant, Richmond Times-Dispatch, December 1, 2007.
- ↑ Forest Service Objects to Proposed Virginia Power Plant, Winston-Salem Journal, December 11, 2007.
- ↑ Dominion Reaches Plan to Cut Emissions, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services, December 19, 2007.
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ "Mile-Long Petition Opposes Dominion Coal Plant in Virginia", Environmental News Service, May 9, 2008.
- ↑ Wise power plant wins approval, Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 26, 2008.
- ↑ Dominion Virginia Power Issues Statement on Approval of Air Permits for Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center, Dominion News Release, June 25, 2008.
Related SourceWatch Articles
External Links
- "Tracking New Coal-Fired Power Plants ", National Energy Technology Lab, May 2007, page 18. (PDF)
- "Stopping the Coal Rush", Sierra Club, accessed January 2008. (This is a Sierra Club list of new coal plant proposals.)
- Dominion Resources website
