RICHMOND, Va., April 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The newest member
of Dominion Virginia Power's generation fleet, the 1,358 megawatt,
environmentally clean Brunswick Power Station began producing
electricity for the company's customers on Monday, April 25, 2016.
The station, located in Brunswick
County, uses natural gas and energy efficient technology to
produce enough electricity to power 325,000 homes.
"The Brunswick Power Station is destined to be a workhorse,
using combined-cycle technology that is clean and efficient and
will produce reliable, low-cost energy for our 2.5 million
customers," said Paul Koonce, CEO of
Dominion Generation Group. "I commend the Generation Construction
team on the successful, on-schedule, on-budget completion of an
important project."
The station was needed to meet growing demand and to replace
electricity from aging coal-fired power stations as Dominion
transitions to a cleaner energy future.
Combined-cycle power stations such as Brunswick use low-cost, environmentally clean
natural gas to produce electricity. Brunswick has three combustion turbines –
essentially large jet engines. The combustion turbines generate
electricity and then the heat is captured and used to create steam
that is used to create even more electricity.
Construction on the station began in August of 2013. At the
height of construction, the station had more than 1,500 workers on
site. During the development and construction, the station was
estimated to generate approximately $824
million in economic benefits for the state. The station has
been estimated to pay about $4
million a year in local property taxes in 2017 and up to
$5 million annually thereafter.
Upon commencement of operations, Brunswick Power Station will
have 43 employees and an annual payroll of about $7.5 million. In the first full year of the
station's operation the fuel savings have been estimated to be
nearly $100 million. Those fuel
savings will continue over time, and the station is expected to
save customers between $924 million and $1.5
billion over its expected life.
About Dominion Virginia Power
Dominion Virginia Power is a subsidiary of Dominion
(NYSE: D), one of the nation's largest producers and transporters
of energy. Dominion provides energy or products and services to
more than five million customers in 14 states. It has a portfolio
of approximately 24,300 megawatts of generation and 6,500 miles of
electric transmission lines. Dominion also operates one of the
nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 933 billion cubic
feet of storage capacity. For more information about Dominion,
visit the company's website at www.dom.com.
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SOURCE Dominion Virginia Power