Author: Eric Mark
Source: Standard Speaker
SALEM TWP. – Developers of the Caithness Moxie Freedom Generating Station project recently donated to local firefighters who will respond to potential problems at the station after it opens in two years.
Caithness officials on Wednesday presented a $5,000 check to the Salem Township Volunteer Fire Company for 2016.
The project team also announced a long-term commitment to the fire company that includes donations of $10,000 in 2017 and $20,000 when the generating station is operational in 2018, according to a news release from Caithness officials.
Starting in 2019, the annual donation will be $20,500, with an additional $500 added each year for a period of 19 years, the news release states.
The generating station, described by company officials as “an approximately 1,029-megawatt natural gas-fired greenfield power project,” has a targeted completion date of May 2018.
Gemma Power Systems, LLC will build the plant on a 150-acre parcel in an industrial zone on Mingle Inn Road, off U.S. Route 11.
The station will provide about 25 to 27 permanent jobs, according to testimony at a hearing last year, before township officials approved the project.
The plant will use natural gas extracted from the Marcellus Shale fields in Susquehanna County, transported through the Transco gas pipeline, to generate power, Caithness officials said.
Electricity produced at the plant will go into the nearby PJM Interconnection grid – a high-voltage electricity transmission line system – and on to the open market, serving local and regional customers and markets throughout the northeast United States.
Caithness Energy LLC is partnering with Moxie Energy LLC to develop the power generating station.
“The long-term support from the Caithness Moxie Freedom team will help to ensure that our firefighters have the resources and training they need to continue providing excellent service to this community,” said township fire Chief Brice Dalrymple, in a statement.