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Construction is underway on a new natural gas-fired power plant in Cecil County Md., that will provide energy to members of Delaware Electric Cooperative and ten other non-profit utilities in Maryland and Virginia.
Co-op officials recently took part in a ground breaking ceremony for the Wildcat Point Power Plant. Price tag is estimated at $675 million.
The plant will be owned and operated by Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC), based in Glenn Allen, Va. Old Dominion is partially owned by cooperatives that include Delaware Electric.
The plant marks a shift in strategy for Old Dominion, which, in the past, had been focused on new coal-fired generation.
However, factors that included clean air standards, and lower prices for natural gas, led to the decision to build the gas-fired plant in Cecil County.
Once completed in 2017, the plant will be capable of producing 1,000 megawatts of electricity – enough energy to power 390,000 homes. Wildcat Point is being built near Rising Sun. Md. about 30 miles west of Newark, Del.
The plant is adjacent to a peak power gas-fired plant that is fired up during periods of heavy electricity use. Old Dominion has a financial interest in the peak-power generation site and had infrastructure in place for the new plant.
The project will create 600 construction jobs and 30 permanent positions in Cecil County, Md.
Delaware Electric Cooperative President and CEO Bill Andrew said, “The construction of the facility is expected to have a positive impact on members. The plant will provide our members with a sustainable source of energy for years to come. Wildcat Point will likely help to stabilize rates for our members because of its close proximity to Delaware, and could lower the cost of power across the entire Delmarva Peninsula.”
Now being constructed in Delaware is a smaller gas-fired plant in Dover that will be operated by Calpine.
The new natural gas plant will also help to diversify Delaware Electric Cooperative’s portfolio of energy sources, which include nuclear, coal, natural gas, landfill gas, wind and solar. Currently, ten percent of the co-op’s energy comes from renewable sources. DEC owns and operates a 20 acre solar energy farm near Georgetown and is purchasing energy produced at a gas-to-energy facility at the Delaware Solid Waste Authority’s Sandtown, Del. Landfill.
Co-op officials said Wildcat Point will be one of the most efficient power plants in the country, and the use of natural gas to produce power will result in a smaller carbon footprint, when compared to producing energy using coal and other traditional fossil fuels. Delaware Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric utility serving 88,000 member-owners in Kent and Sussex County.
