Gas

Invenergy scraps plan for natural gas-fired plant near Pittsburgh

The Chicago company cited “current market conditions” as the reason for pulling the plug on the controversial plant.
Invenergy scraps plan for natural gas-fired plant near Pittsburgh
(The Lackawanna Energy Center, another Invenergy natural gas-fired plant. Source: Invenergy.)

Invenergy said it would no longer pursue the construction of a natural gas-fired plant south of Pittsburgh in Elizabeth Township, Pennsylvania.

“In response to current market conditions, Invenergy is exploring other opportunities to provide reliable energy and significant economic benefits,” a company spokesperson told Power Engineering in a statement.  

The Allegheny Energy Center, a proposed 689 MW combined-cycle plant, faced years of opposition from neighbors and environmental groups due to concerns over pollution controls. An appeal had been brought by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), Clean Air Council (CAC) and PennFuture challenging the legality of AEC’s air permit.

Invenergy had been trying to build the AEC plant since at least 2016. It would have consisted of a GE 7HA.02 gas turbine, heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) with supplemental duct firing and a steam turbine.

The company asked the Allegheny County Health Department to terminate the permit on Nov. 9.