Dominion files for SCC approval of Chesterfield gas-fired plant

Dominion Energy submitted an application with the Virginia State Corporation Commission Monday to install four natural gas-fired turbines on 95 acres at the utility‘s Chesterfield Power Station.

Dubbed the Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center (CERC), the facility, which is expected to cost $1.47 billion, will generate 944 megawatts of energy. The plant will provide electricity to up to 240,000 homes, according to the application.

“With power demand growing at historic levels, the project will ensure there is enough reliable power when our customers need it the most — on the hottest and coldest days of the year when they use the most electricity to cool and heat their homes,” Jeremy Slayton, a Dominion Energy spokesperson, wrote in an email.

The SCC will determine whether the gas plant is needed and whether its cost, which will be passed on to ratepayers, is reasonable.

CERC will add an average of $1.36 to the monthly bill of a user of 1,000 kilowatt-hours of power over the life of the project, according to Slayton

The turbines can run on natural gas or fuel oil and have the capability to blend hydrogen “if hydrogen generation markets were to develop,” according to written testimony by Jeffrey G. Miscikowksi, vice president of project construction for Dominion, to the SCC.

In 2020, Virginia’s General Assembly passed the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), which  mandates that 100% of energy consumed in the commonwealth must be generated by renewable energy sources by mid-century.

Dominion is currently building the $10.7 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind farm off the coast of Virginia Beach and has the nation’s third-largest solar fleet. About 80% of the utility’s new power generation is carbon-free, according to Slayton.

“These solar and offshore wind facilities are critical components of meeting the renewable energy targets of the VCEA,” Cedric F. Green, senior vice president of generation for Dominion Energy Virginia, stated in written testimony to the SCC. “However, they are also intermittent in nature, and inverter-based technologies such as solar create complexities for grid management and stability not associated with traditional synchronous generators. These factors are driving the need for additional fully dispatchable generators, especially in times of system stress, to support the renewable portfolio.”

Green went on to note that CERC will emit carbon dioxide, but stressed that “the law does not require that the Commission take any action which, in its determination, ‘threatens the reliability or security of electric service to the utility’s customers.’”

The SCC could determine, however, that Dominion can ensure energy reliability without burning fossil fuels.

That would be the preference of those opposed to the project. Several protests have been held in opposition to Dominion building a new natural gas plant in Chesterfield, with participants bemoaning the air pollution caused by the facility.

“This is Dominion’s first request to construct a new carbon-emitting power plant following the passage of the VCEA in 2020, which requires the retirement of such resources by 2045,” Rachel James, an attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), wrote in an email. “We think Dominion continuing to pursue polluting power plants, like this gas plant, is taking Virginia in the wrong direction.”

The SELC filed expert testimony with the SCC last week related to Dominion’s 2024 plan to meet the state’s energy needs over the next 15 years.

“Among other things, the testimony highlighted the no-new-gas pathways to meeting Dominion’s forecasted demand by investing heavily in battery storage resources,” James wrote. “So, Dominion’s assertion that gas is a necessary component of Virginia’s energy future is not a foregone conclusion.”

In January, three Chesterfield County residents filed a lawsuit in circuit court after the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals declined to hear their appeal over Chesterfield’s decision that Dominion’s proposed natural gas plant could use a 2010 conditional use permit to build the facility at the existing plant.

Over the lifetime of CERC, it is expected to create 55 direct, indirect and induced statewide jobs, $5 million in statewide wages and benefits annually and $36.5 million in statewide economic output annually, according to Miscikowski’s testimony.

Construction is expected to begin this year and the plant will be operational by 2029, according to Dominion.

In August, Dominion announced it would move the natural gas plant to the site of the Chesterfield Power Station instead of the James River Industrial Park site originally picked for the project.

Dominion has scheduled several community open houses for members of the public to learn more about the CERC project. A Spanish translator will also be available at the event. The open houses will be held on:

• March 24 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Homewood Suites, 12810 Old Stage Road in Chester
• March 25 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Bellwood Elementary School, 9536 Dawnshire Road in North Chesterfield
• March 27 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Varina Elementary School, 2551New Market Road in Richmond.

Dominion will also hold office hours every Tuesday from March 25 to April 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Dominion Energy Training Center at 11501 Old Stage Road in Chester. A Spanish translator will be available March 25 and April 22.