POWER May 2016 - 63

GENERATION TRANSITIONS
4. Coal to gas. Dominion's 1,358-MW Brunswick County Power Station in south-central
Virginia is slated for operations this summer. The three-unit combined cycle plant is being built
to replace retiring coal-fired generation in the area. Courtesy: Dominion Resources
Dominion and the
Politics of Coal Ash
Dominion has been getting slammed in
social media and by some local environmental
groups over its plan to drain and
close 11 coal ash ponds at four coalfired
power plants, following up on rules
the EPA enacted last year. Virginia's water
quality agency approved the plans in
January, setting off protests and a Twitterstorm,
charging that the utility will
be dumping coal ash directly into the
James River.
Except that's not what the utility
proposed and regulators approved. An
agreement between Virginia Power and
the James River Association over the
coal ash ponds at the Bremo Power Station,
a gas-fired thermal plant converted
from coal in 2014, outlines the basics.
The utility will remove the water from
Southside Virginia and Hampton Roads reliably
and will help us close the gap of 4,000
megawatts in additional peak demand that
our customers are expected to need within
the next decade. "
Last year, Dominion announced plans for
an even larger 1,600-MW gas plant in Greensville
County, Va., with a price tag north of $1
billion. That plant would consist of three gas
turbines and a steam-turbine generator set.
David Christian, head of Dominion Generation,
said, " We are proposing to construct the
largest and most efficient natural-gas fueled
power station in Virginia to bring our customers
reliable, low-cost energy. "
With the plant planned to be in operation
in 2019, Dominion has applied to local governments
and the state regulatory body, the
State Corporation Commission, for development
on a site close to electric transmission
and gas supply pipelines, water, railroads,
and major highways. The company said it
expected to hear from the regulators on the
plant as this article was in production.
Dominion is also facing an uncertain future
when it comes to the Obama administration's
Clean Power Plan, now in limbo in
federal court but likely to come to a conclusion
in 2017 or 2018. If upheld by the Supreme
Court, the EPA's regulatory plan is
likely " to increase rates, it's just a matter of
how much, " said Farrell. Virginia is working
on developing a state implementation plan
May 2016 | POWER
for the federal rule. How that will impact
Dominion, Farrell told POWER, " depends
on which way they go and the choices they
make. "
The utility is already facing closure of two
coal-fired power plants as a result of the EPA
Mercury and Air Toxics Standards. The company
got a reprieve from the EPA to keep the
plants operating until April 2017. Another
challenge has been dealing with new attention
directed at coal ash disposal from its
shrinking coal fleet (see sidebar, " Dominion
and the Politics of Coal Ash " ).
Dominion also has ambitions for its
nuclear fleet despite an uncertain environment
for nuclear power. The company has
an application at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) for a combined
construction-and-operating license for a third
unit at its North Anna plant. The company is
partnering with General Electric for an advanced
boiling water reactor (all of Dominion's
current nuclear units are pressurized
water designs) at the site. An NRC licensing
decision is probably 18 months to two years
away, at which point Dominion's management
would go to its board of directors for a
decision on North Anna.
Dominion is also proposing to apply for a
second license extension for its two-unit Surry
plant, which would extend its life out to 80
years-a first for any U.S. reactor. Though it
hasn't formally applied yet, it put the NRC
www.powermag.com
the ponds, run the water through an
" enhanced " wastewater treatment plant,
and then into the river. The utility will
also test fish in the area. As some observers
have noted, the treated water
will actually improve water quality in
the James.
Nonetheless, in late February some
200 protesters gathered in Richmond
and marched past the state Department
of Environmental Quality offices and Dominion's
corporate headquarters. They
carried the usual signs and megaphones
and chanted, " Coal ash kills. No dumping,
no spills. "
That response raises the hackles of CEO
Tom Farrell. " There is a lot of misinformation
floating around in social media, "
he told POWER. " We are over-complying
with EPA regulations. EPA says coal ash
is not a hazardous waste. The most ludicrous
stuff is being said by people who
apparently have no conscience or any
regard for the truth. "
on notice last November to expect the application
by 2019.
For the future, Farrell said, " We just need
to build energy infrastructure in electricity
and gas to meet our customers' needs. That's
what we have been doing and will be doing. "
Are there any other acquisitions such as Questar
in the works? " Nope, " said Farrell, " no
plans. " ■
-Kennedy Maize is a frequent POWER
contributor.
63

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POWER May 2016

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