A Maryland environmental agency and the state's Public Service Commission staff have recommended the once problem-plagued 755-MW Keys Energy Center be built near Brandywine in Prince George’s County.
The natural-gas-fired plant was first proposed in 2012 as a 735-MW unit that would use recycled water for cooling. Problems siting the water line and the natural-gas pipeline delayed the project.
Developer Genesis Power resolved the pipeline issues last spring in an agreement with Pepco to follow Pepco's right-of-way for most of the route. The firm also fixed the cooling issues by changing the unit to include an air-cooled system, says President Robert Place.
In testimony earlier this month, Ralph De Geeter, PSC generation and transmission engineer, recommended project construction as a beneficial generating resource for Maryland. The Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources also approved it.
The project cleared the PJM Interconnection capacity auction held in May and will begin providing power in June 2017. A project dollar value could not be obtained.
Energy Investors Funds, a private equity fund, has the option to provide all the equity necessary to build the Keys Energy Center, according to Genesis Power’s website. A subsidiary would develop, own and operate the plant.
A hearing on the project is set for Aug. 28, with regulator approvals not expected until the end of October. The project will take 33 to 36 months to complete once construction begins, according to Place. Details on the project contractor were not disclosed.
The company had hoped to begin construction by late summer, he said.