The Green Energy Project

Green Energy Partners’ proposal to construct a 981 megawatt energy facility will be a boon to county coffers. It is estimated that this facility will generate significant annual local tax revenue. The project also doesn't require any taxpayer-funded infrastructure needs.

Green Energy Partners’ proposed power facility near the Capital Beltway will not only empower Loudoun County, but also serve as a national security measure. The following is direct testimony by Benjamin K. Sovacool on behalf of the Piedmont Environmental Council before the State Corporation Commission of Virginia.

“Few question that energy security is a vital component of national security, and that the electricity demands of Washington, D.C., represent an important security concern.  Loss of power in our Nation’s capital can have profound and lasting effects on critical infrastructure. Long distance transmission is not reliable.

1. Who will buy the power? There are many power distribution companies in this area, including Dominion Virginia Power, NOVEC, Old Dominion Electrical Cooperative and PEPCO, among others. Green Energy Partners hopes to eventually work with a local provider to bring Loudoun residents clean and efficient energy.
   
   

Green Energy Partners’ ability to bring Loudoun County its own clean power source is possible because of the type of plant we plan to build.  According to Greenpeace, old fashioned power plants we currently use are on average 38 percent efficient. That means many of the power plants that fuel our lives today are throwing away two-thirds of the energy they create. That’s not smart. That’s not clean. That’s not green. . The combined cycle generation technology included as part of the Green Energy Partners plant will have an efficiency of approximately 56%, far superior to that of older generating plants that now serve Loudoun County. It is expected to operate as a primary or intermediate load plant depending on daily and seasonal power demand. The plant will also include two simple-cycle peaking combustion turbines that will operate relatively few hours per year, primarily during peak summer and winter periods when electric use is highest.

This section will explain in detail the various components that will work together in Green Energy Partners’ facility.

1. Natural Gas Lines: The proposed location for a new green energy facility includes two existing underground natural gas lines, Columbia and Dominion. One supplies gas that originates in the Gulf Coast and another that supplies gas that originates in the Ohio Valley. These pipelines connect to the major Transco pipeline and the liquid natural gas port in Cove Point, Maryland, among others. This redundancy will allow Green Energy Partners to build a unique facility that will never need to burn diesel.
2. Access to the Power Grid: There are two existing high-voltage transmission towers that traverse the site containing 3 separate transmission lines (one 500kV and two 230kV) that will allow ready access to the existing electrical transmission grid and allow power generated from the facility to be placed into the system. This means Green Energy Partners will not need to install transmission lines from its location to connect with the grid. For the reasons stated above, this site is not suitable for residential units.