Beech Hollow power plant project canceled after operator withdraws permit
The Beech Hollow natural gas-fired power plant proposed in Robinson Township has been canceled after the operator withdrew its permit last week, prompting state environmental regulators to terminate previous approvals of the project.
Robinson Power Co. LLC notified the state Department of Environmental Protection on Sept. 29 that it was pulling the air quality permit on the proposed 1,000-megawatt power plant that has been modified multiple times since it was originally proposed nearly two decades ago.
The cancellation came shortly after a Philadelphia-based environmental group challenged the developer’s air quality permit that the DEP reauthorized in June, claiming it was a “zombie” project because its scope had changed and Robinson Power had failed to begin construction. The Clean Air Council appealed the permit in August and then sent a letter to the DEP last week notifying the state agency about the changes to the project.
Robinson Township resident Cathy Lodge, who is a member of the Clean Air Council and a longtime opponent of the project, called the permit termination “a huge victory for the health of my community,” according to a press release from CAC.
“Having one fewer polluting fossil fuel facility in Robinson Township is an important step in the right direction,” Lodge said in a written statement. “Finally, the PA DEP listened to the facts and did the right thing by canceling this permit.”
In a joint press release from the Clean Air Council and the Environmental Integrity Project, the organizations said they notified the DEP on Sept. 28 that Robinson Power had withdrawn its request to connect with PJM Interconnection’s regional electricity grid, received a return of its construction escrow and did not begin building in accordance with its permits. The environmental groups indicated that Robinson Power had all but “abandoned” the Beech Hollow project and DEP should revoke the permits.
The following day, Robinson Power sent a letter to DEP that it was withdrawing its permits for the project. The DEP responded the same day, sending correspondence to Raymond J. Bologna, the principal owner of Robinson Power, notifying him that they were terminating their authorizations in response.
“Local residents made all the difference in uncovering facts that were instrumental in DEP’s final decision to cancel this project’s permit,” said Lisa Hallowell, senior attorney with the Environmental Integrity Project, which assisted the Clean Air Council on the challenges.
Bologna did not respond to a phone message seeking comment Wednesday, and no contact information for Robinson Power was listed in DEP documents except for a P.O. box address in Hanover Township.
The project has been under scrutiny for years as it shifted from using coal waste stored on the property as fuel, then later a combined version of coal refuse and natural gas to its most recent plan to building strictly a gas-fired power plant. It was unknown if Bologna may modify the plans once again or end his bid to build a power plant on the 59-acre tract between Route 980 and Candor Road.