FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Glen Besa, Friends of Chesterfield Board Chair
804-387-6001 | glenbesa@gmail.com
January 13, 2025
Impacted Residents File Fresh Court Challenge Opposing Chesterfield Gas Plant
Chesterfield, VA - Today, three Chesterfield residents filed a legal challenge with the Chesterfield County Circuit Court after the county Board of Zoning Appeals declined to hear their November 2024 appeal regarding Dominion Energy’s plans to construct a 1000-megawatt methane gas plant near the Dutch Gap Conservation Area.
“Dominion Energy is attempting to force through this behemoth project without seeking the necessary approvals, and county administrators have shown little interest in hearing our side of the argument,” said Glen Besa, one of three resident petitioners in the case and Board Chair of Friends of Chesterfield. “We’re prepared to take this as far as necessary to ensure our voices are heard.”
The proposed plant, slated to be co-located with the existing Chesterfield Power Station, is being treated by Dominion and the county as falling under an existing permit issued in 2010 for the now-retired coal plant.
“Dominion Energy should be required to seek a new Conditional Use Permit from the county in order to construct what is clearly a new project,” said Evan Johns, Senior Attorney with Appalachian Mountain Advocates. “The County’s zoning ordinance requires that these permits be tailored to a specific facility, and the facts surrounding this plant were simply not part of the Board of Supervisors deliberations when the original permit was approved. This case is the next logical step in challenging the county’s unwillingness to apply its own ordinance.”
Community opposition to the project continues to grow, with dozens of residents expected to attend the January 22nd Board of Supervisors meeting to deliver testimonies from a Friends of Chesterfield People’s Hearing in October. Residents remain deeply concerned about rising energy bills and health and environmental impacts linked to the proposed plant.
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Friends of Chesterfield is a community-based group in Chesterfield County dedicated to bringing residents together around the issues that impact our lives. Friends of Chesterfield was formed in 2023 in response to Dominion Energy’s proposed 1000-megawatt methane gas power plant.
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