Dominion wants Wise County coal plant to stay as is

A report by Dominion Energy finds the company’s largely coal-fired Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center in Wise County is economically viable, but critics say it lacks substantial, in-depth analysis to support its claims that the plant’s economic and environmental benefits justify continuing its current operations.

Dominion filed the 28-page report as part of a deal made earlier this year with the State Corporation Commission and the Sierra Club’s Virginia chapter, which argued the plant should be closed next year. The company’s own calculations, the chapter contended, found the plant’s operations will cost ratepayers almost $500 million by 2030 while producing only 6.3% of the power it’s capable of generating.

Under that deal, Dominion agreed to “complete an analysis of a possible pathway towards economic viability” for VCHEC “on a going-forward basis.”

The report was required to consider scenarios in which the plant retired prior to 2045, the deadline for fossil fuel plant retirements under the Virginia Clean Economy Act, and analyze alternative uses for the site, including solar, wind, and energy storage development. Additionally, it was required to include a discussion of local economic impacts, system reliability, environmental justice, and the social cost of carbon.