Dominion Pitches Three Gigawatt Gas Plant for Cumberland County

Dominion Energy is proposing a Cumberland Energy Center capable of generating three gigawatts, which would make it the second-largest gas plant in the nation if approved, Virginia Mercury reported after an Aug. 31 community meeting.

Utility representatives told residents in a crowded school cafeteria that the plant is part of a broader generation build to meet demand expected to more than double by 2045. If approved, construction would begin around 2029 and the facility would take about a decade to come online.

Community advocate Muriel Miller Branch asked whether profit justified displacing families through air, water, land and noise pollution and rising health risks. Opponents organized around those quality-of-life concerns while Dominion framed the project as needed capacity.

The proposal still requires local and State Corporation Commission review as Virginia debates how to power data centers and other large loads without shifting costs onto households.

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Email the Cumberland County Board:

Bryan Hamlet, bhamlet@cumberlandcounty.virginia.gov,
John Newman, jnewman@cumberlandcounty.virginia.gov,
Eurika Tyree, etyree@cumberlandcounty.virginia.gov,
Paul Stimpson III, pstimpson@cumberlandcounty.virginia.gov,
Robert Saunders Jr., rsaunders@cumberlandcounty.virginia.gov,

Email the Cumberland County School Board:

Ginger Sanderson, Chairman, District 1,

Yvonne Earvin, District 2,

Latesha Anderson, District 3,

Leigh McCrea, District 4,

Everleane Randolph, District 5,