ASYLUM TOWNSHIP- It looks like Bradford County will be home to the state's first power plant running on natural gas. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental protection approved an air quality plan Wednesday for Moxie Liberty LLC to construct the plant in Asylum Township near Towanda.
“Today is a red-letter day for Pennsylvania,” DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said in a statement released Wednesday. “With this approval, Moxie now has all that it needs from DEP to move forward with the construction of this historic facility, which will use clean, pipeline-quality, locally produced natural gas as fuel.”
A news release from Moxie Liberty said the power plant will be fueled only by natural gas and will not require river water or any other large source of water typically used for cooling needs.
It is estimated the plant will produce 936 megawatts of electricity and use natural gas that comes from the Marcellus Shale in that area.
Moxie estimates the construction of the plant will create 500 jobs. The company expects to have the facility done by 2015 and expects it to take two and a half to three years to build it. Moxie said it expects payroll for construction to be $40 million. Once the $800 million plant is complete, the company said it will employ 25 to 35 "high paying technical and operations jobs."
The DEP's news release said the state is also reviewing an application from Moxie Liberty LLC to build a similar natural gas fueled power plant in Clinton Township, Lycoming County.