The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) approved Wildcat Point Generation Facility, a $675 million combined-cycle natural gas generation plant proposed by Old Dominion Electric Cooperative. The plant will be located adjacent to its existing generating facility near Conowingo, about 25 miles west of Newark, Del.
The site had earlier received tentative OK, barring any last minute appeals.
The $675 million Wildcat Point facility will serve 1.2 million members in Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware. The cooperative serves Delaware Electric Cooperative in Kent and Sussex counties in Delaware and Choptank Electric, which serves northeastern Maryland and portions of the Eastern Shore.
Wildcat Point is expected to generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity, enough to power roughly 390,000 homes annually.
By issuing a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, or CPCN, the PSC provided Old Dominion the final permitting required to begin construction. Old Dominion had asked that the project be placed on a fast track.
“The PSC’s decision is an important win for our members and for the region’s energy future,” said Jackson Reasor, president and CEO of ODEC. “As demand for electricity has grown in ODEC-served areas, constructing a state-of-the-art, environmentally-friendly power generation facility became a critical priority. Wildcat Point will enable us to provide our members cost-effective, locally produced power while reducing reliance on costlier electricity bought on the market. I would like to thank the citizens of Cecil County and their elected representatives for their early and steadfast support for this important economic development project.”
The PSC’s decision follows an 11-month review of ODEC’s proposal by local, state, regional, and federal agencies.
Wildcat Point was required to meet environmental, traffic, and historic preservation regulations. Both Old Dominion and the PSC hosted public hearings during the review process. No one spoke formally in opposition to the project at either hearing.
The plant will generate about four times as much electricity as the proposed power plant at the Data Centers project in Newark. That project has drawn heated opposition from environmental activists and neighbors.
Construction is expected to begin in late 2014 or early 2015 and will create a peak construction workforce of approximately 600 jobs. Once the plant goes into opreration 2017, Wildcat Point will support 30 permanent jobs.
A report from Chmura Economics & Analytics estimates that Wildcat Point will create a $1.2 billion total economic impact for Maryland over 30 years. In addition, an agreement between ODEC and Cecil County guarantees $124.2 million in tax revenue for the county.
Wildcat Point will be built on existing property at the ODEC constructed Rock Springs Generation Facility, which has operated since 2003.
The combined cycle technology reduces emissions from natural gas-fired power plants and is only a fraction of releases from coal-fired plants. Old Dominion had originally proposed a coal-fired plant in Virgnia, but later mothballed that plan and opted for the Cecil County site, which is served by natural gas pipelines.
