Updates on the Expedition Generating Station

The Expedition team has a few updates to share regarding the development of the proposed second power plant in Fluvanna County.

First, we would like to address environmental aspects of the project.

There is a robust set of environmental permits that Expedition will need to receive from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). This agency is equipped with the technical expertise to evaluate the environmental impact the plant will have and issue the necessary permits if Tenaska meets stringent requirements that protect human health with an adequate margin of safety.

However, given interest in the environmental aspects of the proposed facility, Tenaska has provided additional information and resources to Fluvanna County.

Among other things, this supplemental information provides factually correct information in light of recent inaccurate reports from project opponents claiming to detail health impacts associated with natural gas-fueled power generation in Fluvanna County.  Our information also provides preliminary air quality modeling results. These models are used to project what the plant’s impact on air quality will be, and they are required as part of Tenaska’s application for an air permit through DEQ. This preliminary modeling demonstrates that Expedition can comply with DEQ standards and would actually be just 15% of allowable limits.

You can access these memos in the Planning Commission materials posted on the county website.

In addition, at the Jan. 7 joint work session of the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission, several important details were highlighted by county leaders and staff:

• Tenaska’s existing facility in Fluvanna has had zero DEQ violations for air and wastewater discharge in at least the past five years
• The Fluvanna County Planning Director indicated he was not aware of any complaints about Tenaska to his office during his time there
• Reference was made to the 2025 Rivanna River Watershed Stream Health Report, which noted that the Rivanna River (the discharge points for Tenaska’s existing plant) is among the healthiest waterways in the state

The Jan. 7 work session also identified areas where more work and collaboration are needed on the proposed conditions of the Special Use Permit. We are committed to continue refining the conditions and have requested a deferral from the Planning Commission to allow more time for both parties.

You can view the agenda for the Tuesday (Jan. 13) meeting of the Planning Commission here.

Tenaska looks forward to continued advancement of the proposed Expedition Generating Station in Fluvanna County!