CPV St. Charles Power Plant

CPV St. Charles is a 640 megawatt natural gas fueled power plant that is slated to be constructed in Charles County, Maryland by Competitive Power Ventures, Inc., based in Silver Spring, Md. CPV says the plant will be capable of providing power to roughly 600,000 homes. Construction is targeted to begin in the first half of 2009 and targeted to be completed in early 2012. CPV estimates the total project cost at more than $400 million.

The plant will use reclaimed water from the Mattawoman Wastewater Treatment Plant which will reduce the plant's impact on the clean water resources of the area.

CPV plans to build and operate the new facility through its wholly-owned subsidiary CPV Maryland, LLC. It will be constructed on a 77-acre site in an industrial zone which has long been set aside for a power plant and which was previously fully permitted by another power company. The site is adjacent to an existing asphalt plant, the Charles County landfill, and an existing power line, eliminating the need to construct new transmission towers or power lines. CPV recently entered into a purchase agreement for the site with American Community Properties Trust, the current property owner and developer of St. Charles.

Additionally, CPV obtained priority rights to tie the plant directly into the region’s power grid. CPV said the move gives the project a time and cost advantage over other proposed new power plants in the metropolitan Washington DC area.

When completed, CPV St. Charles will be one of the largest taxpayers in Charles County estimates the company. Its construction will create approximately 350-400 jobs at peak and it will create 30 permanent jobs when operational. The company says it will make strong efforts to use local labor to the greatest extent possible.

“CPV St. Charles will be one of the cleanest natural gas plants ever licensed in this state and will offer a clean, cost-effective and reliable supply of Maryland-generated electricity to meet our region’s growing energy needs,” said Doug Egan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CPV, in a company press release dated Oct. 24, 2008.

Project Timeline

• 2011: Plant expected to come online.
• 2009: Construction slated to begin.
• Dec. 10, 2008: Charles County Commissioners issue press release announcing partnership between county and CPV regarding use of waste water from Mattawoman Wastewater Treatment Plant and respective fees and tax payments.
• Oct. 24, 2008: CPV issues press release stating they have been granted a permit by the Maryland Public Service Commission that will allow construction and operation of the plant. The order by Joel M. Bright, a hearing examiner for the Public Service Commission, grants a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for CPV to construct and operate the plant and accepts a settlement on permit conditions between CPV and Maryland state agencies. The order became effective on November 8, 2008.
  • The permit conditions agreement notes that issuance of a CPCN by the Maryland Public Service Commission for CPV St. Charles is in the public interest as construction of the Project will assist Maryland in addressing a predicted shortfall in electric generation in the in the 2011-2012 time period. The agreement also says that construction and operation of the project in accordance with the conditions in the agreement “would meet or exceed the requirements of all currently applicable environmental laws and regulations, including those relating to noise abatement and the control of air and water pollution.”
• Oct. 1, 2008: Charles County Commissioners approved in a 5-0 vote a resolution of support for the proposal to use reclaimed water from the Mattawoman Wastewater Treatment Plant.
• Dec. 2007: CPV filed state permit application for the plant.
• July 24, 2007: CPV issues press release announcing plans to construct the St. Charles plant.

External links

• Competitive Power Ventures, Inc. website