CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Tenaska’s Vice President for Development went before the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday evening to update the Expedition Generating Station project, and a number of citizens turned out to give supervisors another earful for approving the gas-fired power plant without all the information.

Jarrod Pitts, the Tenaska VP making the presentation, acknowledged supervisors didn’t have all information, but that’s not unusual for such a project, he said.

“I wish that the first time we had the idea of building the power plant we could have all the information put together,” Pitts told supervisors. “But the reality is for a project of this nature it’s a 3-4 year process to go from initial start of development until you’re ready to have a project under construction.”

During more than an hour of discussion, supervisors questioned Pitts on a number of technical factors that have changed since last summer’s approval.

One of the major points was the company’s decision to build a plant that is dry cooled rather than water cooled which will reduce the amount of water the plant will use but will also mean more noise.

The company plan explained in August included installation of low-noise fans and insulation surrounding the gas turbines.

They have explained the noise level emanating as the decibel level of a refrigerator hum.

Tenaska expects the dry-cooled plant will require 85% less water than the traditional water-cooled plant, and they updated the water use projection from what was initially projected at 1-million gallons a day to 600,000 as Pitts presented to supervisors Wednesday.

Pitts said they initiated an air-cooled plant noise study through a third-party consultant.

“Through that engineering study we were able to identify key engineering controls that we will implement to ensure that the sound levels are in line with the study,” Pitts said. “But I actually think we can do a little better and so that’s some of the ongoing work we’re doing.”

Pitts added there will be regular sound testing they’ll have to do once they come online to meet stringent set levels.

Residents presented issues with heavy construction equipment that will be on Fluvanna’s rural roads during an approximate four-year construction period starting in late 2027 at the earliest, but are also concerned about water use and quality during that construction.

“Residents have been asking since May for answers about Expedition’s construction water. Fluvanna County still hasn’t provided them,” said Fluvanna Horizons in a social media post.

Pitts presented, “Water on the site during construction will be managed in accordance with applicable laws, regulations and permits, an erosion and sediment control plan, stormwater management plan, VPDES construction general permit, and a spill prevention, control and countermeasure plan.”

He also presented that Tenaska is willing to enter a Memorandum of Understanding “restricting the use of on-site well water to only potable purposes, which includes sanitary facilities such as restrooms, handwashing, and similar limited uses”.

The updated information Pitts presented also included construction of a roundabout to alleviate potential traffic tie-ups at the intersection of Rt. 53 (Thomas Jefferson Pkwy) and Ruritan Lake Rd.

Tenaska has selected Timmons Group for engineering and design of the project which is right now in Phase One of engineering design and traffic study, and construction is expected to take eight months to be finished “prior to peak construction”.

Citizens in public comment said these questions shouldn’t have been under consideration after the board approved the project.

“Four members of this board voted to approve a second possible gas plant in Fluvanna even after the Planning Commission determined the project was not in accordance with the comprehensive plan, and now state regulators are reviewing how much you didn’t know when you went in,” one resident told supervisors.

“We were repeatedly sold a project with a 50-acre footprint and that felt reasonable to you, but now sadly we’re looking at nearly two miles of new 500 kilivolt transmission line (as shown in a site plan Pitts presented), structures up to 170-feet tall, new rights of way, expansion of Cunningham (substation),” one resident said. “That’s not a 50-acre impact.”

“I care deeply about Fluvanna County because once you hand over our countryside to massive industrial development, it’s gone forever,” said Susan Morris who grew up in Fluvanna and has taught there for 50 years. “There’s no turning back.”

Residents called for the Board to show everything they knew before the decision was made during the summer, and what that know now.

“Release the records showing that officials knew, why did they do it, and what was independently verified,” one resident told supervisors. “Hold a public reconciliation hearing comparing what Tenaska represented before approval with what is now presented to the SCC and DEQ on water, noise, and construction.”

“Every unanswered question should have meant ‘prove it’, every missing document ‘produce it’, every protection Tenaska rejected ‘explain why’,” one resident said.