Gas

New CPV Gas-Fired Power Plant Will Include Carbon Capture

A Maryland-based power generation development group said its new 1.8-GW combined-cycle natural gas-fired power plant in West Virginia will include carbon capture technology, as the company continues to expand its decarbonization platform.

Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) on Dec. 12 said the new CPV Shay Energy Center will be located in Doddridge County, West Virginia. CPV in a news release Monday said the $3 billion investment “will serve as one of the cornerstone projects for CPV’s decarbonization platform that will build on two decades of prior success in the development of highly efficient and low emitting electric generation projects.”

CPV said both the Doddridge County Commission and the Doddridge County Board of Education unanimously approved a critical payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, agreement, which will enable the project to move forward with obtaining the necessary permits and regulatory approval. CPV said the power plant would create as many as 2,000 jobs during construction, and is expected to enter commercial operation “later this decade.”

Low-Carbon Generation

“CPV is pleased to announce the selection of Doddridge County and looks forward to working with its leaders to advance this monumental project in the coming years,” said Peter Podurgiel, CPV’s executive vice president of Project Development. Podurgiel is leading the company’s efforts to develop low-carbon, dispatchable power generation. He said Doddridge County, located in northern West Virginia about 140 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, “has been extremely professional and receptive to the CPV Shay project which represents a key pillar in CPV’s vision for a reliable low-carbon future.”

Competitive Power Ventures has a fleet of natural gas-fired power plants, including the 725-MW Woodbridge facility in New Jersey. Source: Competitive Power Ventures

“This is an outstanding day for Doddridge County,” said Doddridge Commission President Shawn Glaspell. “We are so glad that Competitive Power Ventures chose Doddridge County for this innovative project, and we look forward to continuing to work with this forward-thinking company.”

Federal Support

CPV said the project will benefit from the federal Inflation Reduction Act passed earlier this year that expanded the 45Q federal tax credit for carbon capture and sequestration. West Virginia lawmakers earlier this year passed legislation to codify how carbon sequestration would work there, making West Virginia among the few states with working rules for carbon capture and sequestration.

“CPV is pleased to achieve this milestone and announce Doddridge County as the location for our West Virginia carbon capture project,” Matt Litchfield, director of External and Regulatory Affairs for CPV, told POWER. “Over the past year, West Virginia’s leaders have taken decisive steps from regulatory and legislative perspectives that make this an ideal location for an innovative project like this.  We appreciate the hard work of everyone involved and look forward to continuing to work with Doddridge County and the state to move this monumental project forward into the permitting and regulatory processes.”

Competitive Power Ventures’ Fairview Energy Center received a Top Plant Award from POWER in 2020. Source: Competitive Power Ventures

New Plant’s Namesake

The CPV Shay Energy Center is named for West Virginia’s official state steam locomotive, the Shay No. 5, which is located at the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park in Cass, West Virginia. The Shay locomotive, first built in 1880, was considered a technological advancement, as it was especially well-suited for operating in the mountains and steep terrain of West Virginia.

CPV in its news release said, “Just as the Shay locomotive served as an engine for economic growth and development, CPV Shay represents another technological advancement that will serve as an important catalyst for the transition to a low-carbon future.”

“CPV’s decision to site this project in Doddridge County is a game changer,” said Jennifer Wilt, director of the Doddridge County Economic Development Authority. “This investment will not only create a large number of jobs during construction but will also support high-paying careers for a generation to come as this area becomes a key player in the country’s decarbonization efforts.”

CPV is known for the innovative technology in its natural gas-fired power plants, along with its deployments of renewable energy, including solar and wind power. The CPV Fairview Energy Center in Pennsylvania received a Top Plant award from POWER in 2020.

Darrell Proctor is a senior associate editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).

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