Loudoun Office Managing Shareholder Randy Minchew and Senior Land Use Planner Kimberlee Hise (f/k/a Cummings) were involved from start to finish in the development of a natural gas–fueled 778-megawatt combined-cycle generating station that became operational in late May. They assisted our client, Green Energy Partners, from initial planning and land acquisition, through feasibility, zoning, utility planning, and site plan approval over the course of five years.
The combined-cycle generating station is owned and operated by Panda Stonewall LLC, an affiliate of Panda Power Funds. The plant was built by a turn-key consortium composed of the Bechtel Corporation and Siemens Energy Inc. Panda Stonewall can continuously power up to 778,000 homes and will generate a projected $7 billion in direct and indirect economic benefits to the Commonwealth of Virginia and Loudoun County during its construction and its first 10 years of operation.
Using the latest, most advanced emissions control technology makes this plant one of the cleanest natural gas–fueled power plants in the United States. Natural gas is supplied to the plant from two 30-inch gas pipelines that pass through the plant site. The power plant connects to the grid through an existing 230 kV line that traverses the site.
There are many unique attributes to this project, including a deal that Randy, Kim, and Bryan Guidash worked on whereby the power plant secured its critically needed cooling water through purchase of the Town of Leesburg’s wastewater currently being poured into the Potomac River. The reuse of the Town of Leesburg’s reclaimed water for cooling the power plant prevents the discharge of harmful nutrients into the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Bryan and Kim also worked with our client on securing numerous offsite easements for the reuse waterline between the Leesburg wastewater plant and the power plant.
