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Reopening closed power plants to create new electric generating capacity is pushed in a report sponsored by state utility regulators.
The report identifies 21 former power plants across Pennsylvania that could be reactivated to help meet projected energy capacity shortfalls in the regional PJM electric grid network.
The sites comprise old coal, coal waste and natural gas plants that total 4.8 Gigawatts of retired capacity.
That amount could meet peak power needs for a large metro area.
The plants include the coal-fired Armstrong Generating Station in Armstrong County, JSC fuel oil plant in Philadelphia, Barbados natural gas plant in Montgomery County and Cambria Cogeneration coal waste plant in Cambria County.
The state Public Utility Commission (PUC) heard a presentation on the report titled the Pennsylvania Accelerated Transmission and Energy Redevelopment initiative last week.
The study was done by KeyLogic Systems Inc. in cooperation with the PUC and Team PA, a nonprofit economic organization chaired by Gov. Josh Shapiro.
The study's Part B will narrow the 21 sites to 5-7 priority sites favorable for redevelopment.
"These sites -- primarily retired fossil power plants -- represent significant embedded infrastructure value, including existing transmission connections, brownfield acreage, water access, rail and highway proximity and community workforce assets," the report said.
The report suggests the sites are cleared and physically ready for redevelopment with coal-fired plants having the largest parcels.
For example, the former Stanton coal-fired plant occupied 152 acres in Luzerne County zoned for industrial use. The plant closed in 1990 and a portion of the site was redeveloped.
The site is classified as a presumptive brownfield.
The main risks in the report's view are groundwater contamination and flooding, getting new permits and local opposition.
The former coal-fired Cromby Generating Station on the west bank of the Schuylkill River in Chester County is a case in point.
The station closed in 2011. The site is treated as a presumptive brownfield and zoned for utility use.
In comments to the PUC, James Rebarchak, a retired state Department of Environmental Protection employee, said the report needs to consider air quality issues with a reactivated
Cromby station since the southeast region is designated a serious non-attainment for ozone pollution.
PA Energy Needs
Pennsylvania's energy debate revolves around meeting new demands for electric power by data centers and electric cars as old polluting fossil fuel plants went off line.
The report surfaces amidst a backdrop where PJM reported a shortfall of 6.8 megawatts from its capacity auction last July to secure guaranteed power supplies.
PJM proposed a special capacity auction for this fall to close the shortfall. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave conditional approval Sept. 29, but postponed implementation of it until Feb. 28, 2027.