CNX plan for drilling/fracking at Pittsburgh’s Airport

From an Article by Jamison Cocklin, Natural Gas Intelligence, October 21, 2019

Pittsburgh International Airport (PIA) has awarded a 20-year contract to utility Peoples Natural Gas to build and operate a microgrid to power its entire campus.

The microgrid would be powered by Marcellus Shale wells on airport property that are operated by CNX Resources Corp., natural gas from the interstate pipeline system and solar panels that would be installed. It would be the first microgrid to power a major airport in the United States with resources available on site, according to PIA, which serves more than nine million passengers annually.

The microgrid would become the airport’s primary power supply and replace electricity purchased from the wholesale grid. A connection would still be maintained to back up the facility. The microgrid would consist of five natural gas-fired generators and 7,800 solar panels capable of producing more than 20 MW, or enough to power 13,000 residential homes. PIA’s current peak demand is 14 MW.

The system is expected to enter service in the summer of 2021 and power a hotel, the airport and a gasoline service station.

In 2013, the Allegheny County Airport Authority leased 9,200 acres at PIA to CNX, where the company planned to develop six pads and 45 Marcellus wells. Production started in 2016. CNX spokesman Brian Aiello said the plans for the property remain the same. He added that there are 14 producing wells at the airport in addition to another six drilled but uncompleted wells.

PIA officials, who have been considering the microgrid since last year, said it would come at no cost to the airport. Peoples is making the $30 million investment to build the facility. The utility, which serves 740,000 homes and businesses in Kentucky, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, has continued to explore various technologies for the natural gas it distributes. PIA officials said the microgrid would not only save money, but increase reliability and sustainability.

Distributed power developer IMG Energy Solutions, along with EIS Solar, which is to install the panels, and construction firm PJ Dick and LLI Engineering are also involved in the project.

In the State Journal, Cynthia McCloud has described the June 5th actions of the Morgantown City Council to place limits on drilling and fracking within the city limits by a vote of 7 to 0.  Council members also repealed, on a 6-1 vote, a horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing ban that Monongalia County Circuit Court overturned last year. Councilman Bill Byrne cast the no vote because, he said, he didn’t want to remove the ban before new zoning laws were on the books.

If the ordinances pass the second reading and final vote during the July 3 City Council meeting, drilling will be allowed within city limits only at the industrial zone that includes the Morgantown Airport and, for research purposes, on property owned by West Virginia University.

“We cannot utilize our zoning regulations in West Virginia to exclude any type of land use,” said Christopher Fletcher, Morgantown’s Director of Development Services. “In fact, it’s the exact opposite. We have to find places in the municipality for all land uses and development to occur.” 

The best places in Morgantown for extractive drilling to occur are its six industrial districts. But those industrial districts can contain an extractive industry site only if it is 625 feet from any residential areas, schools, day care facilities, hospitals, churches or parks. Sites also have to be 100 feet from the floodplain, 1,000 feet from the public water supply intake and 1,000 feet from the floodplain of the Monongahela River south or upstream of the Morgantown Lock and Dam.

“Most of our industrial districts are along the river, are along creeks and other bodies of water. What the state required was 100 feet from a creek or water body or a river or wetland,” he said. “The state code did not provide some direction on where you measure from. The high water mark, the average water mark? There’s no additional information that we need to get an accurate measurement. What we thought the best approach to be in an urban environment is to use the floodplain that is delineated on floodplain maps. Water isn’t flowing in those areas but during flood events, we wanted to protect those sensitive areas.”

When the setbacks are taken into account, the only district suitable for drilling is the one that is surrounded by airport property. Certain conditions will be placed on the operation focusing on security; noise, exhaust and dust control; secondary containment; spill reporting; flaring restrictions, including public notice; waste management and disposal; maintenance, clean-up and restoration.