Rolling Hills Generating said Feb. 19 that the natural gas power plant expansion it’s developing in Vinton County, Ohio has received its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) wastewater permit.
The Rolling Hills power plant, in operation since 2003, is an 850-MW, natural gas-fueled peaking power plant that is being converted to a 1,414-MW combined-cycle and peaking facility.
The original power plant was completed in 2003. Since 2008, the facility has been a private equity investment managed by Tenaska Capital Management, LLC, of Omaha, Neb.
The plant upgrade is planned as a result of a resurgence among industry and manufacturing in the U.S. and a number of anticipated coal plant retirements in the PJM Interconnection market. Both market factors could increase the need for natural gas-fueled power generation.
In addition, the Rolling Hills combined-cycle configuration should help Ohio to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Clean Power Plan greenhouse gas emissions goal.
Market needs will ultimately determine the timeline for the project. The earliest construction is expected to begin is in 2015, with commercial operation commencing three years after the start of construction.
The Rolling Hills project received a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need from the State of Ohio Siting Board in 2013. The project is expected to receive its Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) air quality permit within the next few weeks.
The expanded Rolling Hills Generating Station would employ more than 400 construction and trades workers at peak construction, according to a Rolling Hills website.
