Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center
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Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center is a power station in pre-construction in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. It is also known as CERC.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center | Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States | 37.3823521, -77.3804614 (exact)[1][2] |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- 1, 2, 3, 4: 37.3823521, -77.3804614
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Equipment | Emergency/Backup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pre-construction[3][4][5][2][6][7] | fossil gas: natural gas, fossil liquids: light fuel oil, other: hydrogen (unknown)[8][4][2] | 250[7][2] | gas turbine[2] | 2029 (planned)[7][1][2] | GE Vernova: 7FA.05[1] | no |
| 2 | Pre-construction[3][5][2][6][7] | fossil gas: natural gas, fossil liquids: light fuel oil, other: hydrogen (unknown)[8][4][2] | 250[7][2] | gas turbine[2] | 2029 (planned)[7][1][2] | GE Vernova: 7FA.05[1] | no |
| 3 | Pre-construction[3][4][5][2][6][7] | fossil gas: natural gas, fossil liquids: light fuel oil, other: hydrogen (unknown)[8][4][2] | 250[7][2] | gas turbine[2] | 2029 (planned)[7][1][2] | GE Vernova: 7FA.05[1] | no |
| 4 | Pre-construction[3][4][5][2][6][7] | fossil gas: natural gas, fossil liquids: light fuel oil, other: hydrogen (unknown)[8][4][2] | 250[7][2] | gas turbine[2] | 2029 (planned)[7][1][2] | GE Vernova: 7FA.05[1] | no |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Operator | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dominion Energy[2] | Virginia Electric and Power Co [100%][1] | Dominion Energy Inc [100.0%] |
| 2 | Dominion Energy[2] | Virginia Electric and Power Co [100%][1] | Dominion Energy Inc [100.0%] |
| 3 | Dominion Energy[2] | Virginia Electric and Power Co [100%][1] | Dominion Energy Inc [100.0%] |
| 4 | Dominion Energy[2] | Virginia Electric and Power Co [100%][1] | Dominion Energy Inc [100.0%] |
Impacts
Potential emissions and details on the project's status and permit applications can be viewed on Oil and Gas Watch page here.
The Oil and Gas Watch database, created by Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), is a free, public-facing tool designed to track the rapid expansion of fossil fuel and petrochemical infrastructure in the United States. Oil and Gas Watch maps new and expanding oil, gas, and petrochemical infrastructure projects across the country and monitors each project’s construction status so the public can stay informed about major oil and gas developments being proposed in their communities. We track key environmental approvals companies must obtain before starting construction or operations and provide access to thousands of government records and permits unearthed by our analysts.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
In March 2025, Dominion Energy submitted a proposal to Virginia regulators seeking approval to construct a new 1-GW gas-fired power plant aimed at meeting the rapidly growing electricity demand from data centers. The new gas-fired power plant’s location was changed to the Chesterfield site in 2024. The facility originally was set to be built at the James River Industrial Center, near Interstate 95. The CERC is east of that location. The new gas-fired plant would be built near Units 7 and 8 of the existing 446-MW Chesterfield power station. According to Dominion’s application, the facility will consist of four 250-MW simple-cycle gas turbines and will not require additional pipeline or transmission infrastructure. Construction is expected to begin in 2026, with the plant entering commercial operation in 2029. The turbines will be designed to burn gas, a blend of gas and up to 10% hydrogen, and low-sulfur #2 distillate fuel oil. The project will also include six 3,500-kW black start generators powered by ultra-low-sulfur diesel.[9]
According to the state filings, CERC will serve as a peaker plant, running 37% of the time.[10]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 https://www.deq.virginia.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/30670/638948361188600000.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 https://www.dominionenergy.com/projects-and-facilities/natural-gas-facilities/chesterfield-energy-reliability-center.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 https://www.deq.virginia.gov/news-info/shortcuts/topics-of-interest/dominion-chesterfield-energy-reliability-center-project.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 "Dominion Seeks Virginia Approval for 1-GW Gas-Fired Power Plant". POWER Magazine. 2025-03-07. Archived from the original on 2025-07-13. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 (PDF) https://ukozvhzgrcnkcatjqfoo.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/03-00-air-construction/2025_12_19_Chesterfield_Power_Station_50396_Final__0ce2eca5.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 https://news.oilandgaswatch.org/post/virginia-a-magnet-for-data-centers-is-hit-with-environmental-lawsuit-after-approving-large-new-gas-power-plant.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 https://virginiabusiness.com/scc-approves-dominion-chesterfield-gas-plant-deq-air-permit-appeal/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 (PDF) https://ukozvhzgrcnkcatjqfoo.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/03-00-air-construction/2025_12_19_Chesterfield_Power_Station_50396_Engine_e0511b39.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Dominion Seeks Virginia Approval for 1-GW Gas-Fired Power Plant". live-powermag.pantheonsite.io. March 7, 2025. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "https://www.vpm.org/news/2024-08-21/dominion-energy-gas-plant-chesterfield-power-station". VPM. August 21, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
{{cite web}}: External link in|title=
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of gas-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
