Planning Commission OKs Surry coal plant
The Surry County Planning Commission voted overwhelmingly in mid-December to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve a new coal-fired power plant planned for the Town of Dendron reports the Virginian-Pilot. The Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) wants to build the $6 billion plant, known as the Cypress Creek Power Station, to generate 750 to 1,500 megawatts of electricity. The plant would provide electricity to roughly 375,000 homes in Virginia.
ODEC is aiming to complete construction and begin operation by 2017. The company estimates the plant will create 250 permanent jobs, in addition to a couple thousand temporary construction jobs.
The coal that will provide fuel for the plant will likely come from the Appalachian Mountains.
While the Planning Commission’s recommendation and the Board of Supervisors’ approval are the biggest obstacles the project must pass, numerous hurdles remain, most notably obtaining dozens of permits from various local, state and federal authorities.
