FirstEnergy cuts several Pennsylvania gas plants
Monday, February 6, 2017
Last month FirstEnergy Corp. announced its decision to sell several Pennsylvania natural gas plants and its hydroelectric assets for $925 million, according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The assets were picked up by LS Power Equity Partners III LP, a New York-based power developer. In 2014, the same company purchased 11 hydroelectric power stations from FirstEnergy for $395 million.
The new agreement includes four natural gas plants — the 683-megawatt Springdale Generating Facility in Allegheny County, the Gans Generating Facility in Greene County (88 MW); Chambersburg Generating Facility in Franklin County (88 MW); and Hunlock Green gas power plant in Luzerne County (45 MW) — and the 713-megawatt Bath County Hydro pumped storage facility in Virginia.
Learn more: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette > FirstEnergy sells off Pennsylvania gas plants
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.