Dominion Energy last week submitted a request to Virginia’s State Corporation Commission for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for the Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center (CERC).
The 1,000 MW natural gas-fired plant would be built adjacent to the existing Chesterfield Power Station (CPS) in Chesterfield County, Virginia. State regulator approval would allow Dominion to proceed with the new project, including securing necessary air quality and water permits.
CERC would feature four of GE’s 7FA.05 simple-cycle gas turbines, each with an output of 250 MW. The CTs would operate primarily on pipeline-supplied natural gas, with fuel oil as a backup source.
These turbines would be equipped with dry low-NOx (DLN) burners designed to minimize nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. Additionally, the facility would incorporate a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system to further reduce NOx emissions, along with oxidation catalysts to decrease carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
To enhance grid reliability, CERC would have black start capability. The site would have seven 3,500-kilowatt-electric (kWe) fuel oil-fired emergency generators. In the event of a grid failure, these emergency generators would activate to provide the necessary power to start up a combustion turbine.
In August 2024, Dominion announced that, after an assessment of potential locations and extensive community engagement, the company had chosen to construct CERC at the existing Chesterfield Power Station site on Coxendale Road. This decision replaced the earlier proposed location at the James River Industrial Center on Battery Brook Parkway.
Among other advantages, the utility said building CERC at the existing Chesterfield Power Station site would limit construction and operations to the existing industrial footprint, minimizing the environmental and cultural impact.
Dominion is proposing the new generation to meet the growing energy demands expected from the expansion of data centers in the state.
Construction of the Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center is expected to begin in 2026, with the facility slated to become operational by 2029.
