Development is underway for Summer 2020 In-Service Date
PRESS RELEASE
A new electric generating facility, powered with the newest, cutting-edge technology, is planned for southern Guernsey County.
Apex Power Group, LLC is developing Guernsey Power Station, LLC (GPS), with a projected generating capacity of 1100 megawatts. At its core, GPS will consist of two state-of-the-art, natural gas-fired combustion turbines, resulting in improved electric-generating efficiency and reliability for Ohio.
With planned construction in Valley Township alongside interstate 77 approximately six miles south of interstate 70, Guernsey Power Station, LLC will provide enough power to serve roughly 1,000,000 average-sized homes.
The project is designed to support both current and future electrical demands in areas of Ohio, Pennslyvania and West Virginia, as all three states are serviced by retional transmission operator PJM Interconnection. In addition to employing the latest technolgies, the generating plant will benefit from the abundance of local natural gas from the Utica and Marcellus shale, providing clean, environmentally-friendly power at a competitive price.
Norm Blanchard, Executive Director of the Community Improvement Corporation (CIC), is delighted by the announcement. “We think it’s great that Apex Power Group recognized the potential here in Guernsey County,” Blanchard stated. “Having the Rockies Express interstate gas pipeline bisect their proposed site along with the 765kV electric lines overhead has made this the perfect location for the project.”
Apex has proposed connecting to those 765kV electric lines, which will allow power to easily flow where it will be needed the most.
Apex Managing Partner, Michael King, says that Guernsey Power Station, LLC will create “about 500 construction jobs for the two-year construction period and about 25 full time positions when operational.”
Guernsey Power Station LLC has applied for electrical interconnection and will apply for Ohio EPA and Ohio Power Siting Board permits later this summer or early fall. Subject to securing financing, Guernsey Power Station LLC expects to start construction as early as Spring 2018 and be on-line by Summer 2020.
The Guernsey County Commissioners have met with Apex representatives and, so far, are impressed with what they have both seen and heard. “When you consider future property and sales tax revenues, this is a huge benefit for not only Rolling Hills Schools but also for Valley Township and all of Guernsey County,” said Dave Saft, Commission President. “And that doesn’t even include the positive economic impact on businesses supporting the power station.”
Apex Power Group, LLC was formed in 2007 after the Principals had worked together on the successful development of Panoche Energy Center in Fresno County, California. More recently, Apex developed the Pio Pico Energy Center, a 300 MW peaking facility in San Diego County, California, which is under construction and will achieve commercial operations in September of this year.
Guernsey Power Station, LLC is the result of a project targetede to bring efficient and clean power to the Midwest by Apex Power Group, the successful developer of two competitive projects which were permitted in one of the toughest regulatory climates in the United States.
Apex Power Group, LLC will hold public meetings in Guernsey County later this spring to present the project to the community, as required by the Ohio Power Siting Board. If you would like more information about this topic, you can visit the Apex website at www.apexpowergroup.com; contact Mary King at (317) 447-4513; or email her at [email protected].