Waldorf, MD – Maryland Governor Larry Hogan [R] joined local and international dignitaries in Waldorf Tuesday, June 13 to herald the dedication ceremony for the Competitive Power Venture (CPV) St. Charles Energy Center.
The new power generating facility will produce, via combined cycle natural gas-fired electric steam and gas turbines, an estimated 725-megawatts of electricity that will power up to 700,000 homes.
The long-awaited ribbon-cutting ceremony came after to-and-a-half years of construction and an estimated investment of $775 million from 15 lenders. The project is managed and owned by CPV, Marubeni, Toyota Tsusho and Osaka Gas USA and was constructed by SNC Lavalin Constructors Inc. Ethnos Energy Power Plant Services LLC will operate the new facility.
Hogan called the facility, “One of the largest economic development projects in Maryland over the last 10 years. “This innovative project shows Maryland is truly open for business.”
The facility is a win-win for everyone, Hogan noted. Not only will it produce clean energy for thousands, but the St. Charles Energy Center will use treated “gray water” from the Mattawoman Treatment Facility, which will help cool the generators.
“That will keep millions of gallons of effluent treated water from being discharged into the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay,” he said.
“It took ten years to get to this stage,” said CPV President and CEO Gary Lambert. “This project will have a lower environmental impact and will provide low-cost electricity to the region. It utilizes the grey water which will benefit the Chesapeake Bay. I am very proud of this project,” he said.
Kenichiro Sasae, Japan’s ambassador to United States, heralded the cooperation between the state of Maryland and Japan.
“Every time we participate in a project together, we learn from each other,” Sasae noted. “This project meant jobs when it was being constructed, and it will mean new jobs for the day-to-day operation of the facility.”
“It has been a pleasure working with the CPV team throughout the decade-long process it took to bring the CPV St. Charles Energy Center from concept to reality,” Maryland Delegate Sally Jameson [D-Charles] said. She called the professionalism and perseverance throughout the process “exemplary.”
“We appreciate having CPV St. Charles Energy Center as a good neighbor in Charles County for the years ahead,” Charles County Commissioner President Peter Murphy stated.
It was evident from the large gathering near Billingsley Road in Waldorf that this is a project everyone is proud of. “Not too many people can say they built a power plant,” CPV Vice President Jeff Ahrens said.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com