State utility regulators approved a controversial new natural gas-fired power plant in the Richmond area.
On Tuesday, the Virginia State Corporation Commission signed off on Dominion Energy’s request to build the plant in Chesterfield County. The project and its potential location have been the subject of intense debate over several years. An air permit is also under consideration by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
The SCC found that the risk of service disruptions without the new plant outweighed the requirements of the recent Virginia Clean Economy Act. Environmental groups argued that the increased electricity generation could be accomplished with renewable alternatives.
The Southern Environmental Law Center represented several groups fighting the proposal, including the Chesterfield branch of the NAACP.
“To say we’re disappointed is an understatement,” Chesterfield NAACP President Nicole Martin said in a news release distributed by SELC. “Today’s decision puts Dominion’s profits over the health and wellbeing of those living in fenceline communities in Chesterfield and beyond."
Construction of the plant is estimated to cost nearly $1.5 billion. Dominion expects it to be operational in 2029.
