NO MORE GAS PLANTS IN OUR COMMUNITIES!
Amidst a worsening climate crisis and the federal attacks on renewable energy, Dominion is seeking to built a huge 1,000 MW gas plant in Chesterfield, while Nebraska-based Tenaska wants to build another gas plant outside Scottsville with a gigantic 1,500 MW capacity.
Gas plant expansion in our communities is being proposed solely to meet Dominion’s forecasted energy demands from data centers.
Enough is enough!
KEY DATES
KEY DATES
Fluvanna Planning Commission Hearings, 72 Main St, Palmyra, VA 22963.
Tuesday, January 13 2026, 7pm: Decisions for recommendation to the Board of Supervisors: smoke stack height increases, Special Use Permit and substantial alignment with Comprehensive Plan.
Fluvanna County VA:
Tenaska’s Proposed 1.5 GW Gas Plant
Tenaska, a Nebraska-based energy company and one of the largest privately held companies in the United States, intends to construct a whopping 1.5 GW second gas power plant near its existing methane plant.
If this project is approved, these gas-fired power plants would become the largest in Virginia, significantly affecting not only Fluvanna County but also neighboring Scottsville and Albemarle County.
Opportunities for public engagement has been extremely minimal. Tenaska has been allowed to control the narrative, holding invitation-only “community” information sessions, choosing which questions to answer at a Special Board Meeting, and failing to conduct a local health impact study, including for air pollution modeling.
Time is running out to stop this project!
Fluvanna’s Board of Supervisors is considering awarding a Special Use Project for this project, and the community needs your voice.
Use the links below to get involved, and learn more from our partners at Fluvanna Horizons Alliance!
TALKING POINTS - Fluvanna residents
Action:
Write to and call your Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors asking them to oppose the proposed Tenaska gas plant! Use these talking points to help you get started.
Water use
The new facility would withdraw millions of gallons of water per day from the James River system, adding strain to shared regional water resources and heightening vulnerability during drought. The treated effluent would be added to Cunningham Creek, whose ecosystems were already damaged when the same process was done by the original plant.
Air and health
Gas plants emit nitrogen oxides, particulates, and volatile compounds linked to asthma and heart disease. Those related health costs fall on local families and health systems, not the company.
Employment reality
According to Tenaska, only about 29 permanent jobs would be created, and with over a third of the 29 employees that work at the existing plant living outside the County, this would not result in an employment boom for Fluvanna's 27,249 residents. Tenaska has acknowledged that most construction labor would be contracted from outside the region. These limited benefits cannot justify the long-term noise, traffic, health and environmental harm.
Ongoing noise & accountability
Neighbors of the existing Tenaska plant have lived with a persistent low-frequency hum for years. The company has declined to install noise-mitigation equipment, saying it’s too costly. If Tenaska won’t fix today’s problems, it can’t be trusted to manage a much larger one.
Economic reality
The promise of new tax revenue is doesn’t factor in future costs: road repairs, emergency services, and health burdens. The community reports that they have not seen the benefits that were originally promised when Supervisors approves the first plant over 20 years ago.
TALKING POINTS - Albemarle & Charlottesville
Action:
Write to Albemarle's Board of Supervisors and Charlottesville City Council encouraging them to speak out publicly and regionally against the Tenaska expansion and to press Fluvanna’s Board to reject the new plant. This is especially significant for residents of Southern Albemarle near Scottsville, who are closest to the existing plant and will therefore bear more direct health impacts if the plant’s size is more than doubled.
Fiscal prudence
The region, not Tenaska, will shoulder the infrastructure and healthcare costs associated with the plant’s impacts, including potential road infrastructure impacts and health system strain.
Public health
Pollutants travel across county lines. Residents in southern Albemarle, especially children and older adults, would face higher exposure to particulate and ozone pollution, including PM 2.5 for which there is no safe exposure level.
Noise & accountability
Tenaska’s current plant has long generated community noise complaints that remain unaddressed. A larger plant will worsen regional quality-of-life impacts and demonstrate the company’s disregard for neighbors’ concerns.
Employment reality
Tenaska’s own estimates show about 29 permanent jobs, with construction crews largely from outside Virginia. The limited employment benefit is insignificant compared to the risks to public health and infrastructure.
Health system strain
UVA Health serves as the regional hospital for Fluvanna and Albemarle. With initial estimates by SELC that the health impacts of the proposed expansion would cost a cumulative $275 million by 2040, this increased pollution-related illness from two operating plants would fall on Charlottesville and Albemarle's healthcare infrastructure.
Want to Learn More?
Watch Our Webinar
Dive into the details of the project and discover how you can take action! Watch C3's webinar featuring local community organizers and experts from SELC, Appalachian Voices, and Fluvanna Community Voice presenting on the proposed expansion of Fluvanna's Tenaska gas plant.
Chesterfield VA:
Dominion’s Proposed 1 GW Plant
Over near Richmond, residents of Chesterfield are being threatened with a potential 1,000 MW gas-fired peaker plant proposed by Dominion - explicitly to meet the demands of data center industry growth.
The Community Climate Collaborative has joined a large coalition of organizations, business and individuals opposed to this disastrous ramping-up of gas infrastructure - and you can too!
Stay tuned for a list of actions you can join, led by our partner organizations across the region.