Chesterfield gas plant
Concerned residents of Chesterfield County organize to stop methane gas plant
Chesterfield residents are mobilizing to oppose Dominion Energy’s proposed 1,000 megawatt methane gas plant — the largest of its kind in Virginia — at the site of its former coal plant, the Chesterfield Power Station.
Community members were first alerted of Dominion’s plans in late 2023 and quickly mobilized a grassroots movement to oppose the gas plant, holding months of community meetings, rallies and educational events. The community group Friends of Chesterfield was formed, and with other local residents, members of Friends of Chesterfield testified at multiple Chesterfield Board of Supervisors meetings in 2024.
A legacy of pollution from Dominion Energy in Chesterfield
Friends of Chesterfield believes that emissions from the methane gas plant, which Dominion plans to call the “Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center,” will harm residents living near the plant who have already been burdened with decades of Dominion’s coal plant pollution. Methane gas pollution has a detrimental effect on air quality by creating ground-level ozone — the main ingredient in smog — and particulate matter pollution. Dominion’s air permit application to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality notes that pollution from the new gas-fired plant would increase over the amount of pollution the Chesterfield Power Station produced in 2023.
Dominion Energy’s air permit application to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality documents that pollution will increase from its annual coal plant emissions at the Chesterfield Power Station to the proposed methane gas plant emissions at the same site:
A history of the Chesterfield Power Station
The Chesterfield Power Station is the site of a power plant that was built in 1944, with coal units operating since at least the 1950s. The plant used to operate as the largest coal power plant in Virginia. The coal-fired units were deactivated in 2023, but the plant currently has two current units that run on gas and oil.
In 2009, the Chesterfield Power Station was ranked 36th in a list of the top 100 polluting coal power plants in the U.S. in a study issued by the Institute for Southern Studies. Some of the toxins that were released into the air by the power station according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxic Release Inventory include arsenic, chromium, dioxins, lead, mercury and nickel. The power station is also the site of two unlined ponds that hold 15 million cubic yards of coal ash, a toxic byproduct of coal-fired power generation.
In a monumental 2010 study from the Clean Air Task Force, the city of Richmond — immediately north of Chesterfield — was ranked 15th for metro areas in the country for its high mortality rate attributed to exposure to particulate matter pollution from coal power plants. Virginia ranked sixth nationally for its per capita mortality rate associated with coal power plant pollution.
Opposition grows in Central Virginia
Community members gather for the Chesterfield People's Hearing on Oct. 29, 2024. Photo by Jen Lawhorne
Community members and nine state legislators who publicly opposed Dominion’s plans in March of 2024 say the methane gas plant violates the 2020 Virginia Clean Economy Act, which requires the state’s electric grid to transition to 100% clean energy by 2050. The VCEA also set a 2024 deadline for the closure of most of its coal-fired power plants.
The nine Central Virginia legislators, including state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi who represents Chesterfield, said in a press release, “Dominion Energy’s current pursuit of permits to build a new gas-fired power plant in Chesterfield County undermines the state’s transition to clean and renewable energy.”
That inaction from most county officials created the clear need and inspiration for the community to hold their own hearing — the Chesterfield People’s Hearing, held Oct. 29 at a high school in southern Chesterfield. The impactful event with close to 150 attendees was an opportunity for local residents to voice concerns and submit on-the-record comments to multiple state agencies about the proposed project.
Join Friends of Chesterfield at the Jan. 22 county board of supervisors meeting.
Friends of Chesterfield is a grassroots organization founded in 2022 to oppose Dominion Energy’s proposed gas plant. The group is dedicated to bringing residents together around the issues that impact the lives of Chesterfield residents.
What's next in the fight to stop the methane gas plant in Chesterfield County
At the end of 2024, Chesterfield gas plant opponents expect public notices detailing the review of Dominion’s application for an air permit for the project. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is expected to hold public hearings and comment periods on the air permit application in early 2025. The permit will face significant public opposition from residents local to the proposed site and people statewide who are concerned with how the plant would worsen the climate crisis. The project also faces review from the State Corporation Commission, which will help determine if the project is actually needed. The commission would likely have a public review opportunity in the second half of 2025.