Hill Top Energy receives air quality permit for new power plant near Nemacolin
The state Department of Environmental Protection issued an air quality permit Friday for the 620-megawatt natural gas power plant Hill Top Energy Center LLC proposed to construct near Nemacolin in Cumberland Township.
The air quality permit was one of the last major hurdles the company had to cross before it could move forward with the plant, which will be built on a 41-acre site off Thomas Road, adjacent to AGRiMED Industries’ medical marijuana growing operation.
A public hearing on the air quality plan was held by DEP Nov. 2 in the Carmichaels Area High School auditorium. About 20 people attended the hearing, though none offered testimony.
A spokesman for Hill Top Energy could not be reached Tuesday for comment.
At the November hearing, Bill Campbell, a Hill Top Energy environmental consultant, said the company received all other state permits for the project and was waiting only for approval of the air quality permit.
Plans for the project must still be reviewed by the township planning commission under the township’s land development ordinance. The plans earlier received preliminary approval from the commission.
Ann Bargerstock, township code enforcement officer, said township officials are scheduled to meet with Hill Top Energy representatives today to discuss what requirements the company still must complete to obtain final commission approval.
Bargerstock said she expects the project will be ready to receive final approval in early spring. The company said it hopes to start work on the plant in the third quarter of 2018 and have the plant in operation in 2021.
The plant is expected to create about 250 construction jobs, about 450 at peak construction. Once in operation, it will employ 20 to 30 people.
In regard to emission, Campbell said earlier the plant “will be one of the cleanest gas plants in the country.”
The plant is considered a “minor source” in regard to hazardous air pollutants, he said. However, because this area is designated a “non-attainment area” for ozone, the company must purchase credits for nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compound emissions under a system used to regulate those ozone-causing pollutants.
Hill Top Energy’s plant is one of two natural gas power plants now planned for Greene County. The other is a 1,000-megawatt plant proposed by APV Renaissance Partners Opco LLC to be constructed at the site of the closed Hatfield’s Ferry Power Station. The company is currently seeking permits for the project.