Fourth Gas Fueled Power Plant Coming to Utica
CADIZ, Ohio – A $900 million natural gas fueled power plant that would create 500 construction jobs is moving forward in Harrison County, the fourth large-scale energy generation project announced for Ohio’s Utica shale region in the last four years.
Houston-based EmberClear Corp. is working with the village of Cadiz and the county to develop a 1,000 megawatt energy production plant on 60 acres at the Harrison County Industrial Park. The plant would provide enough electricity to support about one million households.
The project is expected to bring about 500 construction jobs over three years and create 30 permanent jobs when it is completed, according to press reports.
The Harrison County plant is the fourth such project in eastern Ohio’s Utica shale region, which is estimated to hold hundreds of trillions of cubic feet of natural gas.
Construction started earlier this year on Clean Energy Future’s $900 million energy plant in Lordstown in Trumbull County, while work that started last year continues on another $900 million plant in Carroll County under development by Advanced Power AG. Also last year, Advanced Power announced plans to build a $1.1 billion natural gas-fueled electrical plant near Wellsville in Columbiana County. That project recently received regulatory permits.
EmberClear expects to close financing and begin construction on the Harrison County project during the third quarter of 2018 and start commercial production in the first quarter of 2021, the company’s website said.
Once operational, the plant would connect into the AEP electrical grid. AEP is investing $3.5 billion to upgrade electrical infrastructure around Harrison County to accommodate this demand.
Air permits for the project are expected to be in place by the third quarter of 2017, the company noted.
EmberClear said it selected Harrison County because of the concentration of natural-gas pipelines and processing plants in the region.
“The prolific natural gas production facilities near the project make this facility uniquely positioned to produce low-cost power,” the company said. “In addition, several fractionation and gas distillation facilities within Harrison County have plans to expand production.”
Harrison County is home to three large fractionation complexes, two owned by Marathon Petroleum and one operated by Utica East Ohio Buckeye in Scio. These plants separate natural gas from the Utica shale into dry gas and natural gas liquids.
EmberClear said it’s plant will employ the latest advanced turbine technology and benefit from best-in-class fuel efficiency.
The company was based in Alberta, Canada, but filed bankruptcy and this summer transferred its assets to Houston-based Ember Partners LP.
Pictured: Rendering of the Harrison County power plant project.
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