Dominion Energy, a Virginia-based company, is proposing to construct a new natural gas-fired power plant in Grant County, which would be connected to the existing coal-fired plant near Mt. Storm, according to a Tuesday news release from Gov. Patrick Morrisey.

The new energy plant, if constructed, could add 2.6 gigawatts of natural gas-generated power to the region in addition to the 1.6 GW already produced by the coal-fired Mt. Storm Power Station, which the company plans to keep online as part of the new Mt. Storm Combined Cycle Station.

When asked via email on Tuesday whether the power proposed to be generated by the Mt. Storm Combined Cycle Station would be used in West Virginia, Jeremy Slayton, a spokesperson for Dominion Energy, said, it will “serve (Dominion Energy’s) customers in Virginia.”

“… But excess energy can be utilized by the PJM grid, which includes West Virginia,” Slayton continued. 

Ed Baine, the executive vice president of Utility Operations at Dominion Energy, said in a news release Tuesday that the proposed project “will further enhance Mt. Storm’s positive impact on the economy and grid reliability for decades to come.”

“The project demonstrates our continued commitment to West Virginia and supports the state’s energy goals,” Baine said in the statement.

Dominion Energy is headquartered in Virginia, and serves millions of electric customers there and across the Carolinas. Excess power potentially produced at the West Virginia facility will go to the PJM grid, which delivers power to West Virginia and 12 other states.

Dominion estimates that the new Mt. Storm Combined Cycle Station could create 1,400 local construction jobs as well as 150 permanent jobs once the project is completed.

Last week, Dominion filed an application with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to modify its existing air quality permit to include the newly proposed natural gas plant. In the application, the company said that commercial operations at the new combination plant could start by 2033.

Per the modified application, the proposed plant will operate on four combustion turbines, which would burn natural gas that is piped in. A source for that gas was not indicated in the filing. Diesel would be stored on-site in two 4-million-gallon fuel storage tanks, to be used as backup power in generators when gas is not available.

Proposed annual emissions for the new site include:

  • More than 9.85 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions
  • 2,917 tons of carbon monoxide
  • 1,114 tons of volatile organic compounds
  • 752 tons of nitrogen oxides

According to the modified application, the newly calculated emissions would mean up to 75,000 more tons of greenhouse gases could be emitted each year, as well as 40 more tons of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides. Carbon monoxide emissions could increase by 100 tons annually compared to current emissions at the Mt. Storm Power Station.

Dominion Energy wrote in its modified application that the new natural gas plant is necessary due to a projected increase in energy demand on the PJM grid, largely due to the expected creation of new data centers and advanced manufacturing facilities.

PJM predicts that, by 2030, peak demand on the grid will grow by 32 gigawatts. By 2045, that could increase to 70 gigawatts of need due to some power sources being taken offline. A majority of the forecasted increases in peak demand — which could mean higher utility rates and less reliability for customers that depend on the grid for power — are due to the addition of data centers. By 2030, for example, all but two of the 32 gigawatts in increased peak demand is estimated to come from data centers being added to the grid.

The proposal for the new plant was lauded by Morrisey, who said it will help the state reach goals he set in his “50 by 50 Power Generation Plan.” Under that plan — announced by Morrisey last year — the governor wants to see the state increase its energy generation to 50 gigawatts by 2025, largely by investing in coal- and natural gas-fired projects to offset future energy demand deficits on the grid.

In his news release on Tuesday, Morrisey said the state is already 20% of the way toward that goal.

“West Virginia is demonstrating that we can lead with coal, natural gas, nuclear energy and other forms of reliable energy that power America’s future,” he said. “These investments strengthen our position as America’s energy state, create good-paying jobs, and help ensure we can meet the nation’s growing demand for reliable, affordable power.”