Invenergy scraps plan for gas-fueled power plant in southern Allegheny County
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A Chicago-based company has scrapped plans to build a natural gas-fueled power plant on the Youghiogheny River in southern Allegheny County.
Invenergy requested to terminate its Allegheny County Health Department permit for the project last week, according to county records.
A company spokesperson said Invenergy was dropping the proposal in response to market conditions.
“In response to current market conditions, Invenergy is exploring other opportunities to provide reliable energy and significant economic benefits,” the company said in a statement.
Invenergy first proposed the 639-megawatt power plant project in 2016 and received approval from the county in 2021 to build on 17 acres of farmland in Elizabeth Township, just across the Westmoreland County border. The plant would have used natural gas to generate power.
Many nearby residents and several Pittsburgh-area environmental groups opposed the plant proposal, saying it would increase air pollution. Former Democratic state Rep. David Levdansky said at a public meeting in June the power plant would have distributed to 13 states and Washington, D.C.
A coalition of environmental groups, including PennFuture, the Clean Air Council and the Environmental Integrity Project, appealed Invenergy’s permit in 2021. They celebrated the news of Invenergy scrapping the project.
“Instead of locking us into decades of fossil fuel use and fueling the climate crisis, Pennsylvania can invest in wind and solar, which are safer, cheaper and guarantee our energy independence far into the future,” said Joseph Otis Minott, executive director and chief counsel of the Clean Air Council.
Cathy Anderson, of Elizabeth Township, opposed the project and said she and her neighbors were thrilled to see the plant proposal pulled.
“Our voices were finally heard and legal facts were instrumental in leveling the playing field for our communities,” she said in a statement. “This is a victory today and for the future of the region.”