The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Oct. 10 issued an air quality plan approval to Moxie Liberty LLC of Vienna, Va., for construction of the first new power plant in Pennsylvania to run at least partially on locally extracted Marcellus Shale gas.
The plant, which will generate up to 936 megawatts of electricity, will be built in Bradford County and will create 500 construction jobs at its peak.
"Today is a red-letter day for Pennsylvania," DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said. "With this approval, Moxie now has all that it needs from DEP to move forward with the construction of this historic facility, which will use clean, pipeline-quality, locally produced natural gas as fuel."
The project consists of two power blocks, with each block including a combustion gas turbine and a steam turbine. Each combined cycle process will be able to generate up to 468 megawatts of electricity and will also include a heat recovery steam generator and supplemental duct burners.
Waste heat from the two turbine generators will be converted to steam in two heat recovery generators and piped to the turbines. A large air-cooled condenser will convert the steam to condensed water that will be sent back to the heat recovery steam generators.
DEP staff's technical review determined that the proposed levels of air emissions satisfy federal and state best available control technology and the lowest achievable emission rate requirements.
As part of the plan approval, Moxie was also required to perform air quality analyses and submit them to DEP for review. The agency determined that the proposed emissions from the plant will not cause or significantly contribute to air pollution in violation of national ambient air quality standards.
"This power plant will benefit the environment and the economy by using a cleaner fuel and creating hundreds of jobs," Krancer said. "It is a win-win and another landmark moment in the long history of Pennsylvania's leadership role in producing and delivering energy for our nation."
Moxie expects that construction of the plant will create 500 jobs at its peak, with an average of 200 workers. About 30 permanent, highly paid technical jobs will be available once construction is complete. Moxie officials estimate that construction will take between two-and-a-half and three years.
Moxie Patriot LLC, a sister company to Moxie Liberty LLC, has applied for an air quality plan approval for a similar facility to be built in Lycoming County. DEP is reviewing the application.
For information, visit www.dep.state.pa.us.
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