Fluor to begin construction on Dominion’s Brunswick County Power Station

Fluor Corp. has received full notice to proceed from Dominion Virginia Power on the construction of a 1,358-megawatt, natural gas-fueled power station in Brunswick County. Virginia’s State Corporation Commission approved plans for the $1.3 billion facility near Lawrenceville on Aug. 2.

Dominion says the combined cycle station will serve growing customer demand and replace electricity from aging coal-fired power stations that are being retired for economic and environmental reasons.

The notice to Fluor follows a limited notice to proceed contract Dominion awarded the company in August 2012. “We look forward to continuing to provide Dominion with our full suite of engineering, procurement and construction services on this significant new power source in the eastern United States,” Matt McSorley, senior vice president and head of Fluor’s Power business, said in a statement.

Fluor began providing engineering and procurement services on the plant from its Charlotte, N.C., office last year while Dominion awaited regulatory approvals to begin construction. The project is expected to staff about 600 workers during peak construction phases.

According to a study done for Dominion, the station will generate about $824 million in economic benefits for the state during the development and construction period. Over the course of construction, the workforce will average about 380 workers annually. Once complete, the station will provide 43-full time, permanent jobs and pay about $4 million a year in local property taxes.

The station is expected to begin providing commercial service in the summer of 2016.

Fluor, based out of Irving, Texas, handles large construction projects in many sectors, including energy, mining and transportation.