Dominion Energy seeks community input on Chesterfield gas plant

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Dominion Energy is set to hold a crucial community meeting in the evening on Thursday, Sept. 5, regarding its proposed Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center .

The meeting, taking place at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Place Hotel in Chester, marks the first opportunity for residents to voice their opinions on the chosen site for the new gas plant.

Last month, Dominion Energy announced that the plant will be located on Coxendale Road , where the existing Chesterfield Power Station , a retired coal plant, sits, following months of controversy. The decision to select this location over an alternative site on Battery Brook Parkway was influenced by community feedback, according to Dominion.

Dominion believes that placing the plant where there is already a gas power station will help mitigate any potential environmental impacts.

Despite this, local environmental group “Friends of Chesterfield” has raised concerns about the project’s potential effects on the community. The group has filed a request for a written zoning determination, which could trigger a comprehensive approval process if granted.

The organization provided the following statement to 8News:

This decision by Dominion Energy changes nothing. The same neighbors who have endured almost 80 years of coal pollution still face the prospect of an additional 30 to 40 years of toxic emissions from this dirty gas plant.

Friends of Chesterfield

The group has filed a Request for Written Zoning Determination , which, if approved, would require Dominion to appear before a hearing in front of the county’s planning commission and Board of Supervisors, compelling Dominion Energy to undergo the full approval process for the new gas plant, challenging the company’s assertion that existing permits are sufficient.

Dominion Energy’s project team will be present at tonight’s meeting to address any questions and concerns from the public.

Before construction can commence, Dominion Energy must secure additional approvals from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia State Corporation Commission.

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