Glen Allen, VA (May 23, 2013) – Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) this week applied to the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to construct a natural gas-powered electric generation facility in Cecil County, Maryland. The project, named Wildcat Point Generation Facility, was first announced in April.
The filing comes the same week the Cecil County Council unanimously adopted a payment-in-lieu- of-taxes agreement, or PILOT, for Wildcat Point that would yield the County $124.2 million through 2051. The CPCN filing may be viewed at the PSC’s website at www.psc.state.md.us.
“Our region needs new sources of cost-effective, reliable and environmentally balanced electricity,” said Lisa Johnson, ODEC’s Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “This filing makes a compelling case for Wildcat Point, from ODEC’s proven track record building and owning a generation facility in Maryland to the rising demand for electricity in our region. We are grateful for the broad support we have received from the Cecil County government and look forward to working with the PSC during their review of our application.”
Wildcat Point would be built five miles west of the Town of Rising Sun adjacent to the Rock Springs Generation Facility, which ODEC constructed and which became operational in 2003. It would generate approximately 1,000 megawatts of power, enough to serve 390,000 homes annually.
ODEC experienced more than 26 percent growth in electricity sales over the last 10 years and expects additional growth over the next decade. Wildcat Point would provide ODEC’s 11 member distribution cooperatives a new source of reliable electricity, including 52,000 members on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It would be powered by natural gas, a clean and domestically plentiful form of energy used to create electricity. It would benefit non-ODEC customers by improving reliability on the region’s electric grid. Lastly, it would create a peak force of approximately 600 temporary construction jobs and roughly 30 permanent jobs.
Further, Maryland’s power plant fleet is aging and unable to meet statewide energy needs. Maryland imports 42% of its power, making it the fifth largest energy importer in the U.S. Two thirds of the power generated in Maryland comes from power plants that are at least 30 years old.
View official press release: Old Dominion Electric Cooperative Files to Build Environmentally Balanced Energy Facility (PDF)