(The Center Square) – Hundreds of residents and community leaders turned out Monday at a Virginia Department of Environmental Quality hearing on Dominion Energy’s proposal for a new gas plant in Chesterfield County.
The company has applied to DEQ for a Prevention of Significant Deterioration permit to build the Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center. DEQ’s project summary shows the facility would include four natural gas turbines capable of producing about 944 megawatts of electricity, enough to power roughly 240,000 homes.
The application also outlines backup systems, including seven diesel-fired generators and more than 12 million gallons of fuel oil storage, with the ability to use up to 10% hydrogen blends.
Dominion’s filings with the State Corporation Commission estimate the project will cost customers at least $4.5 billion through 2064, with the impact on residential bills averaging about $1.36 a month. The company’s project description says the facility is intended to provide always-ready backup power.
Speakers at the hearing warned the plan would mean higher bills and long-term pollution.
Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, who is also running for lieutenant governor, said the hearing turnout showed “Chesterfield families do not want a new gas plant.” She added that the project “would raise costs and increase pollution when cleaner, more affordable options are available right now,” urging DEQ to deny the permit to protect public health.
Delegate Mike Jones said nearby communities have already carried health burdens from industry for generations, while Del. Rodney Willett called the proposal “outdated fossil fuel infrastructure.” Glen Besa, board chair of Friends of Chesterfield, said the project would “lock in years of fossil fuel costs and emissions at a site already harmed by coal.”
Dominion’s air permit application to DEQ shows the plant could emit more than 800 tons of carbon monoxide, 350 tons of nitrogen oxides, and 162 tons of volatile organic compounds each year. The filing also lists up to 13.5 tons of hazardous air pollutants annually, including about 5 tons of formaldehyde.
The project would be built on the site of the Chesterfield Power Station, which retired its last coal units in 2023. Virginia’s Clean Economy Act requires utilities to move to 100% clean energy by 2045. Dominion’s filings estimate the Chesterfield plant could continue operating until 2064.
Dominion Energy said the project has community support and would provide reliable power and economic benefits for Chesterfield.
“Chesterfield’s economy and population are growing. We’re delivering the reliable power Chesterfield needs to continue thriving,” a Dominion spokesperson said in an email, adding that natural gas is part of what the company calls a balanced energy mix alongside wind and solar for “reliable power and a growing Virginia.”
DEQ will hold another public hearing on Oct. 8, before making a decision on the permit.
