Hampton Roads Power Plant, VA
A Bad Deal for the Environment and ODEC Customers
Opponents chalk up two more victories against coal plant
Local citizens opposed to ODEC's plans for acostly and environmentally destructive coal plant in Hampton Roads continue to gain momentum. On November 17, the Isle of Wight Board of Supervisors passed a resolution opposing the 1,500-megawatt power plant proposed for Surry County.
On November 18, Surry County Circuit Judge Sam Campbell ruled that the zoning for the proposed plant is void, agreeing with the citizens who filed suit that ODEC had rushed the approvals through and that the town of Dendron's public notice violated Virginia law.
As momentum gathers against ODEC's outmoded project, SELC and our allies in the Wise Energy For Virginia Coalition will continue to encourage ODEC make the switch to energy efficiency and other clean sources of electricity to meet the region's needs.
Read the Wise Energy For Virginia press release here.
Case Summary
Old Dominion Electric Cooperative is pursuing plans for a 1,500-megawatt coal-fired power plant in eastern Virginia that would be one of the largest sources of pollution in the state. The project poses a major threat to public health and waterways in the Hampton Roads region. It would emit
- 3,070 tons a year of sulfur dioxide;
- 1,842 tons a year of soot (called "particulate matter");
- 3,085 tons a year of nitrogen emissions; and
- 44 pounds a year of mercury--a potent neurotoxin that is regulated in minute amounts.
The massive facility, including train and truck traffic and coal-ash disposal, would overwhelm the residents of Dendron, a town of 300 people in Surry County where the plant is proposed. Pollution from the plant would also worsen problems in struggling ecoystems of the Chesapeake Bay, less than 30 miles away.
A Costly Carbon Footprint
The massive and unnecessary facility would emit 11.6 million tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide each year, severely undercutting Virginia’s commitment to reduce its contribution to global climate change. Hampton Roads is seconod only to New Orleans in vulnerability to sea level rise, according to the Virginia Commission on Climate Change.
Given the likelihood of federal regulation of carbon emissions in the near future, the $6 billion project would not only jeopardize our region’s health and environment; it would also expose ODEC and its ratepayers to enormous financial risks. A report by experts at Synapse Energy Economics, released in April 2009, documents this huge financial burden, which will only get worse over time. (See a summary of report here.)
- Paying for carbon credits under a federal cap-and-trade program could add an annual cost of between $223 million and $670 million by 2016.
- As regulations become more stringent, that could rise to between $587 million and $1.76 billion a year by 2030.
The Synapse report was commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council in partnership with SELC and other members of the Wise Energy for Virginia coalition.
A Cleaner and Less Costly Alternative
There is no need for ODEC’s customers to take this hit to their pocketbooks. According to Synapse experts, a combination of energy efficiency measures, offshore wind, biomass, and natural gas generation would equal the same amount of power, emit five times less carbon dioxide, and cost ratepayers between 1.7 cents and 4.5 cents less per kilowatt-hour than the proposed coal-fired plant.
ODEC should drop its coal plant proposal, which would imperil the physical and financial health of many Virginians.
More background on this case:
Opposition to ODEC plant spreads near and far >>