Methanol will cause blindness if consumed

From an Article by Jamison Cocklin, Natural Gas Intelligence, October 15, 2018

Houston-based Primus Green Energy Inc. is finally moving forward with plans to develop a small-scale gas-to-liquids (GTL) facility in West Virginia after partnering with an international engineering, procurement and construction firm to improve the project’s economics.

The facility, which is planned to be at the site of Covestro AG’s chemical production facility in New Martinsville, was initially slated to begin operations in 4Q2017. Service was later delayed until 2018, but Primus said this month operations would now start in 2020, thanks partly to a partnership with Jereh Oil and Gas Engineering Corp.

“Primus has long envisioned development of a methanol plant in the Marcellus region, but it is our relationship with Jereh and other strategic partners that has resulted in substantially improved economics and will allow us to move the project forward,” said Primus CEO Steven Murray. “With gas supply and methanol offtake agreements from an integrated oil and gas company, assistance from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. to arrange project debt financing, and design work by Koch Modular Process Systems, the project economics are very strong.”

Similar small-scale GTL facilities, which have smaller and more efficient equipment, have been announced for the Appalachian Basin, but none have entered service. The modular plants are said to be deployed more easily, making them a cost-effective alternative to larger refinery-sized plants.

Primus said the modular units would be fabricated off site by Jereh and Koch Modular, then be transported to the project location for final assembly. The company has developed a technology for converting various feedstocks, including wellhead and pipeline natural gas, natural gas liquids and synthesis gas, into methanol, gasoline and diluent.

The facility would produce about 160 metric tons (mt) a day of methanol, using as little as 6 MMcf/d of feed gas. The technology has been tested at a scale plant in Hillsborough, NJ.

The facility would be the second of its kind to enter operations if it starts up as planned in 2020. US Methanol Corp. broke ground last year on a similar methanol plant that would use Marcellus Shale gas. That plant is being built in Institute near Charleston, where Dow Chemical Co. has a facility.

While the Primus plant would produce about 58,400 mt/year (mty), US Methanol’s facility is larger, with a capacity of 200,000 mty

Methanol is used in a wide-array of products including antifreeze and solvents. It’s also an important product for the petrochemical industry, which is expected to grow in Appalachia once ethylene and polyethylene production begins at ethane crackers that have been proposed or are under construction in the region.

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China tariff on US methanol heats up the trade war

Residents alarmed by explosion & fire in rural area

From an Article by Scott McCloskey, Wheeling Intelligencer, July 24, 2018

Photo: Processing equipment located near a natural gas well site along Sorghum Ridge Road near Sherrard burns Monday morning after an explosion at the site.

SHERRARD — No injuries were reported when an explosion and fire occurred at a Marshall County natural gas well pad at mid-morning Monday.

Sorghum Ridge Road resident Dave Reinbeau had just finished his routine check on his livestock and fences and returned to his home when the explosion occurred within processing equipment at the well pad site.

Reinbeau said he actually saw and felt the initial blast which occurred near the middle of his Sorghum Ridge property after he had returned to his house on the nearby hillside. He said he saw a tanker truck exit the site just seconds before the explosion occurred.

“It felt like a force,” said Reinbeau, who went on to explain that he called 911 right away because he knew several workers were on the site. “I knew that those four guys were out there working. That’s all I could think about. I called 911,” Reinbeau said.

Marshall County Office of Emergency Management Director Tom Hart said while no injuries were reported with the blast at the Reinbeau well pad, one worker on the site was evaluated by EMS crews for being overheated. Hart said emergency crews responded to the blast and fire after the initial call came in shortly before 10 a.m.

“There were no injuries, no evacuations. It is under control at this point. They are just waiting for it to burn off so that they can start assessing,” Hart said shortly after responding to the site. “There were actually crews from Williams Energy on scene that were working at the site. The actual well pad is owned by Southwestern Energy.

“When the fire crews arrived on scene, they did experience heavy fire deployment. It was actually processing equipment that was on fire. It was not the well pad itself. There was an explosion prior to first responders arriving on scene, then after the fire departments did arrive, there was a secondary explosion as well,” he added.

Hart said officials decided to let the fire burn itself out. “What they are trying to do is they’re keeping some of the condensate tanks and other equipment cooled down while they let the fire burn off at this point,” Hart explained.

Volunteer fire departments hauled water from a hydrant on W.Va. 88 to the scene of the fire. Hart said the fire was out by 12:36 p.m. Emergency crews cleared the scene at 2 p.m.

Southwestern Energy spokeswoman Christina Fowler said there were no injuries reported. She said they were aware of the problem and it was resolved.

Several of the neighbors living along the ridge called or stopped to check on each other after the blasts. At least one Sherrard resident living nearly a half-mile away reported hearing and feeling the blast inside her house.

Reinbeau said he went to a neighbor’s house located a short distance away because he didn’t know if there was anything “toxic” in the air from the ongoing fire.

“I stayed over there until I found out it wasn’t harmful,” he said. Reinbeau said he checked on dozens of his farm animals following the blast and they all appeared to be fine.

Fire crews from Mount Olivet, Limestone, Sherrard, Glen Dale and Bethlehem volunteer fire departments and the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office responded. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection also responded to evaluate the scene.

Farm family looking for answers after well runs dry

From an Article by Anthony Conn, WTOV News 9, October 12, 2017

MARSHALL COUNTY, W.Va. — A family’s well suddenly dries up overnight, leaving them to search for the cause. Water is a key part of everyday life. Unfortunately for one Moundsville family, they’re learning the hard way now that theirs is gone.

Rich Forshey bought his Moundsville farm in 2003 with more than 200 acres of rolling Marshall County countryside. On his property, a well, estimated to be more than 170 years old and still used every day. That changed two weeks ago.

“I checked the faucet and there was no water coming out, so I shut the pump off and came out here and opened my well cover,” Forshey said. “When I opened it, a well that was normally filled up to the top, which is generally within two feet of the surface, was down 26 feet.”

The well is 28 feet under ground. After the sudden drainage, the Forsheys have been forced to get water from other places.

“We’ve lost our water now,” Forshey said. “We’re carrying drinking water in one-gallon jugs now. Then we’re bringing out drums of water for cleaning and flushing the toilet, which really makes it really inconvenient and a pain, but it’s better than not having the water at all.”

Without a clear reason why this happened, Forshey turned to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. The increasing amount of mining and drilling in his area, along with heavy truck traffic served as a possible cause.

“I was under the impression that even though I had heard that when they fracked the well that it’s far below the water table, and I believed that, and I actually still believe that. But when my well disappeared, I had second thoughts about that,” Forshey said.

The WV-DEP said there is drilling and mining near the farm, but none of it is close enough to affect the Forsheys’ well. The nearest gas well is more than 4,000 feet away, and the closest coal mine, more than 10,000 feet.

But the bottom line is, the well has run dry, and the answer is yet to be found. “It just drained overnight,” Forshey said. “The water had to go somewhere.”

Forshey says that he’s open to any suggestions as far as where to go from here. Until then, they’ll be getting their water from elsewhere.

Golf Course Adjacent to Power Plant Site

Moundsville Power Natural Gas Plant Still Set for 2018 Online Date in Marshall County

From an Article by Casey Junkins, Wheeling Intelligencer, June 3, 2016

Moundsville, WV  — In less than two years, 549 megawatts of natural gas-fired electricity are scheduled to come online at the planned $615 million Moundsville Power plant.

In early 2015, plant developer Andrew Dorn said his company hoped to start building the facility at the site along W.Va. 2, just north of the Moundsville Country Club, before the end of this year. To this point, however, the project site appears very much as it did in June 2014.

Dorn could not be reached for additional comment for this story, but said last year the plant needed to be operational by June 1, 2018. Moundsville Power spokesman Curtis Wilkerson said the delays are the result of objections to the West Virginia Air Quality Board regarding the facility’s air permit. The air board’s website shows the appeal as pending. “These delays are directly a result of the Ohio Valley Jobs Alliance,” Wilkerson said of the group that formed to support coal-fired electricity.

“Natural gas-fired plants like the proposed Moundsville facility may cause coal-fired plants to close,” alliance spokesman Jim Thomas said. “Coal made the state of West Virginia.”

Still, Marshall County Commissioner Bob Miller said he believes the plant remains on schedule. “As far as we know, everything seems to be moving forward with it,” Miller said. “We keep hearing that they are going to break ground late this year or early next year.”

The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects 2016 to be the first year natural gas generates more electricity than coal. As plants that burn coal continue closing across America, the administration believes 18,700 megawatts of new natural gas generation will enter service before the end of 2018, including that from the Marshall County site.

The plant is slated for construction on about 37.5 acres of the “Hanlin-Allied-Olin” area, which is considered an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site. The former Allied Corp. operated the site for chemical production from 1953 to 1980.

According to Dorn, the company plans to meet the $615 million price tag with private financing. He said his plant would be a “combined-cycle” facility that would use natural gas to propel one of its turbines, while using the exhaust heat from this process to drive an additional steam turbine.

Dorn said the facility will use about 100 million cubic feet of natural gas – roughly the production of two or three successful horizontal wells – daily to produce its electricity. The company’s website states it plans to use existing American Electric Power transmission lines to place its wattage on the grid.

In 2014, former Marshall County commissioners Don Mason and Brian Schambach outvoted Miller, 2-1, to approve a payment in lieu of tax, or PILOT, plan to facilitate the power plant’s construction. Under the PILOT, the county will take official ownership of the natural gas power plant upon its completion for the sum of $1, while the firm will lease the facility from the county.

Instead of receiving regular property taxes, commissioners will receive about $31 million worth of lease payments over 30 years via the PILOT plan.

Two years later, Miller said he stands behind his vote against the PILOT agreement, even though Dorn has said the project will create 400 construction jobs and 30 full-time jobs. “Those will be 30 jobs we don’t have, plus the mineral owners will get royalties for their gas being used in the plant. I just don’t think the government should be in the business of owning power plants,” Miller said.

Miller said AEP, which closed the nearby coal-fired Kammer Plant last year, is not getting a similar deal on its property taxes. “I just find that totally unfair. They are getting a special tax deal that AEP is not getting,” Miller said.

Miller also said the transition from generating electricity with coal to natural gas puts thousands of mining and related jobs at risk. “Getting some new jobs is great, but what about the jobs that are already here?” Miller said.

Dorn has previously emphasized that many of the coal generators were already slated for retirement, so his company is merely using abundant Marcellus and Utica shale natural gas to fill the resulting void.

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See also the EIA update on natural gas fired power plants under development.

Injured Driver to Ruby Hospital via Helicopter

Water Truck Falls From Marshall County Roadway

From an Article by Drew Parker, Wheeling Intelligencer, February 4, 2016

Dallas, Marshall County, WV – The driver of a large water truck was seriously injured Wednesday when a road collapse caused him to lose control on a hillside in rural Marshall County.

According to Sheriff Kevin Cecil, the department was notified of the accident at 10:53 a.m., when a passing driver, also on his way to Noble Energy’s Sand Hill station, noticed the truck had fallen over the guardrail on Number Two Ridge outside of Dallas, leaving the driver pinned beneath the steering wheel on the floor board.

The tanker truck, driven by an employee of C&J Energy of Houston, had been delivering water to the Noble Energy site, according to Cecil, who believes road conditions were to blame for the accident.

“The cause appears to be a soft shoulder on the roadway. The driver’s right side tire got into a soft roadway edge and collapsed on the side of the road,” Cecil said. “He couldn’t recover and the vehicle rolled over because the roadway collapsed.”

Cecil said no charges will be filed.

According to Marshall County Emergency Management Director Tom Hart, a medical helicopter arrived at the scene shortly after 11 a.m. to transport the driver to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown where he remains in serious condition.

Responders included the West Virginia Division of Highways and volunteer fire departments from Dallas, Stone Church and West Finley, as well as the state Public Service Commission and both Marshall and Ohio County emergency management agencies.

Hart said the affected section of Number Two Ridge, near Warton Hill Road, was closed for several hours following the accident, while crews removed the truck and dealt with road hazards.

“The Department of Highways will have to have to repair the roadway and reinforce the whole right shoulder,” Hart said. “The guardrail will need replaced as well.”

>>> WTRF Channel 7 News out of Wheeling also reported on this accident.

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Much of Crooksville evacuated due to gas-line leak in Ohio

From an Article by Jim Woods, Columbus Dispatch, February 1, 2016

Hundreds of people were evacuated in the Perry County village of Crooksville Monday night because a natural-gas transmission line was leaking.

A dispatcher with the Perry County Sheriff’s Office said problems were reported just after 7 p.m. with the line at Route 93 and Watt Hill Road on the outskirts of Crooksville.

Shortly afterward, the evacuation was ordered for residents within a half-mile of the line. That includes a good portion of the village of about 2,500 residents. Crooksville is about 60 miles southeast of Columbus.

The Perry County Emergency Management Agency and Red Cross set up a shelter at Crooksville High School.

The problem involved a high-pressure natural-gas line, according to the sheriff’s office. According to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, four companies have lines in Perry County: Columbia Gas, Southeastern Natural Gas Company, Foraker Gas Company and the National Gas and Oil Cooperative. At least three of those companies had investigators onsite Monday night. It’s unknown how long the evacuation will be in effect.

Explosions & Fires Occur in Marcellus Operations

Gastar to Sell Leases & Wells in Wetzel & Marshall Counties to Concentrate on Oklahoma

From an Article in the Marcellus Drilling News, October 15, 2015

What a difference a few months, or even a week, can make. In August, Gastar Exploration, which owns roughly 60,000 acres of leases in the Marcellus/Utica mostly in Marshall and Wetzel counties in West Virginia, was talking up their drilling program in the northeast.

Just last week we reported on Gastar CEO Russ Porter’s talk at OGIS in San Francisco about the Marcellus/Utica and what’s ahead for his company. Lately it seems like Gastar, which also drills in the Mid-Continent region of the country, has been giving a little more love to Mid-Continent area because gas prices in the northeast remain stubbornly low. Looks like the Mid-Continent is about to get all of Gastar’s love.

The company announced yesterday they’ve put all of their Marcellus/Utica assets up for sale, including leases and drilled/producing wells …

The press release is mostly about Gastar’s Mid-Continent operations, with just a small mention at the end about the Marcellus/Utica – but wow, what a mention!  More like a bombshell:

Gastar Exploration Inc  today announced that it has entered into a definitive purchase and sale agreement to acquire additional working and net revenue interests in 103 gross (10.2 net) producing wells and certain undeveloped acreage in the STACK and Hunton Limestone formations in its Area of Mutual Interest (“AMI”) from its AMI partner, Husky Ventures, Inc. (“Husky”), and certain other parties (collectively “Sellers”). The purchase price is approximately $43.3 million, subject to certain adjustments and customary closing conditions, and the conveyance of approximately 11,000 net non-core, non-producing acres in Blaine and Major Counties, Oklahoma to the Sellers. The transaction is expected to close on or about November 30, 2015, with an effective date of July 1, 2015. After closing, the AMI joint venture with Husky will be dissolved. The acquisition will be funded with borrowings under Gastar’s revolving credit facility.

In order to allow the Company to concentrate on the significant opportunities identified in its existing Oklahoma assets and to improve the strength of its balance sheet, the Company has engaged Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. to market its Marcellus Shale and Utica/Point Pleasant acreage, which are primarily focused in Marshall and Wetzel Counties, West Virginia. These assets include producing wells and acreage located in the liquids-rich Marcellus Shale and high-deliverability, dry-gas Utica Shale/Point Pleasant plays.

“With this strategic Mid-Continent transaction, we are consolidating our working interest in our core Mid-Continent acreage and will be able to operationally control development decisions going forward,” said J. Russell Porter, Gastar’s President and CEO. “We believe this acreage is not only productive for the Hunton Limestone formation but also very prospective for the Meramec Shale and Woodford Shale STACK play, with additional upside from the Oswego and Osage formations. In addition, the contemplated sale of certain of our Marcellus and Utica assets should allow us to further reduce leverage while enhancing our liquidity position to allow for the future development of our extensive Mid-Continent position.”

Gastar Exploration Inc. is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development and production of oil, condensate, natural gas and natural gas liquids in the United States. In West Virginia, Gastar has developed liquids-rich natural gas in the Marcellus Shale and has drilled and completed its first two successful dry gas Utica Shale/Point Pleasant wells on its acreage. Gastar has engaged Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. to market its Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale/Point Pleasant assets in West Virginia.*

*Gastar Exploration Inc. (Oct 14, 2015) – Gastar Exploration Announces Acquisition of Mid-Continent Interests and Marketing of Appalachian Basin Assets

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See additional information about Explosions & Fires in Wetzel and Marshall Counties, etc.

To: WV Legislature; From: Steve Conlon (Wetzel County, WV)

Subject: Rebuilding gas industry impacted roads

Sent via Email:  January 23, 2015

It is encouraging to see some concern about our gas-industry impacted roads. HB 2080 is obviously a response to this need,  a condition and a situation which is beyond the abilities of the WV Departent of Highways to rectify. Thank you for being concerned!

Some of you know me. I’ve lived in Wetzel County on a gravel/dirt road for 42 years which has given me ample time to study roads, geography and bureaucracy. Wetzel/Marshall road history could be accurately divided into  BC (before Chesapeake Energy) and AC (after Chesapeake Energy). It has now been 8 years since gas industry activity started here. Certainly we’ve “seen it all here”. Roads have been destroyed, widened, rebuilt. Sharp curves have been removed. Some homes have been removed.

Some of our roads have been in terrible condition for years and have been repaired to a much higher quality than before. Typically asphalt secondary roads get downgraded to gravel patches which are dusty and muddy. Road maintenance gets passed from the DOH to gas company sub-contractors.

Since District 6 DOH is between 50-70 employees short, we see little supervision or prodding. Few people complain or speak up. Those who do find a circuitous path to little action.

Obviously, the State is not charging the gas companies the correct amount for using our roads. HB2080 gets us the money, but it takes it out of our own pocket. If the severance tax is our profit, why should we spend it on damages they incurred. In 2007, the WV Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Highways had no idea what the “road bill” (cost) would be for each well. Now we know how many trucks, what size, what weight, and how many trips. This information can be combined with a study of the access roads to each pad  and a “road impact fee” can be calculated for every gas well. This is a very simple business calculation. The DEP and the DOH have all this information.

I have been outspoken for several years concerning funding for our road system. We are currently experiencing low fuel prices which gives legislators a perfect window for correcting inadequate road funding. Recently I have heard many “creative” funding scenarios which are seriously worrisome. I watched the Governor’s so called Blue Ribbon Commission on Highways run “dog and pony” shows and then submit a report of little value.

Fees are not taxes. We need to own up to fees. We need to very calmly have the nerve to charge the gas industry companies for their road impacts. And, I am willing to pay more for my vehicular impact. Now is the time. Bury HB 2080. Let’s try a different angle.

Thanks, I appreciate the job you do for West Virginia.

Steve Conlon, Thistledew Farm, RR 1 Box 122, Proctor, WV 26055

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See also:  www.FrackCheckWV.net and www.Marcellus-Shale.us

Snelson Pipeline Site, Marshall County, WV

One pipeline worker dead in Moundsville industrial accident

From  News 9 Report by WTOV, Steubenville -Weirton, January 11 2015

Moundsville, WV — The incident happened just before two PM Saturday afternoon on January 10th at a construction site just off WV Route 2 and Long Run Road.

The worker was employed by the Snelson Company, a pipeline construction company in Moundsville. Officials with West Virginia State Police have yet to confirmed the identity of the person or exactly what happened.

“The only thing I know right now is that the name of the company is Snelson,” said Sgt. C.J. Lantz of the West Virginia State Police. “We’re not going to give out many details. There was a fatality at the construction site in Marshall County. And we are not going to release any information concerning it until the next of kin is notified.”

Officials are still investigating the incident.

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Obituary for Steven Ray Hupp of Snelson Pipeline Company

Steven Ray Hupp, 57, of Macfarlan, WV, died January 10, 2015 at Glendale, WV. (He was killed in an industrial accident working for the Snelson Pipeline Company in Marshall County, WV.) He was born May 26, 1957 in San Antonio, TX the son of the late Frank Clay and Juanita Roberts Hupp.

Steven was a 1975 Harrisville High School graduate where he played Basketball. He was a member of Harrisville Lodge #98 AF & AM, 32nd degree Scottish Rite of Free Masonry, Pennsboro Commandary #20 Knights Templar, Nemesis Shriners, Parkersburg, WV, O’Dell S. Long #25 Pennsboro, WV and Royal Arch Masons, Pennsboro, WV. He was also a member of Bethel Chapel United Methodist Church, Dutchman.

He was a staunch member of the Democratic Party and dedicated member of I.U.O.E #132 with 32 years experience. He was exceptional in his chosen career as a side boom operator and with other equipment related to the pipeline industry. He had a keen eye for the safety of his co-workers and himself. Steven spoke often of the friendships he had made in the pipeline industry over the years and had respect of other operators and that of his foreman as well.

Many people in life have a support system. However, Steven was a support system for many as well as a guiding hand and leader. In fact, it could be said that one of his many interests was that of helping others.

He was preceded in death by one brother, Randall Hupp. Funeral services will be held at 1 PM, Saturday, January 17, 2015 at Raiguel Funeral Home, Harrisville with Rev. Sue Jones and Rev. Marsha Plybon officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like donations made to: Shriners Children’s Hospital, PO Box 1525, Ranson, WV, 25438, www.loveshriners.org, or Hartley Cemetery, C/O Harry Dye, 440 Hartley Ridge, Brohard, WV, 26138.

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Safety Statement of Snelson Pipeline Company

Sideboom Pipeline Tractor

Snelson has a long record of active commitment to the protection of the environment. This pipeline company adheres to strong environmental policies and strict compliance with all regulatory requirements. As a leader in pipeline construction companies, Environmental Safety and Health continues to be Snelson’s core business value, resulting in best in class projects, produced by a work force with high morale, excelling in a safe, healthy and productive working environment.

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New Gas-Fired Power Plant

Marshall County plans for natural gas combined cycle power plant

Based on an Article from the Staff, State Journal, April 24, 2014

Members of the Marshall County Commission approved a resolution April 22 regarding a tax agreement with Moundsville Power LLC to advance plans for a $615 million natural gas combined cycle power plant.

Moundsville Power LLC is a single purpose development company formed by a group of western New York businessmen.. The group is planning to construct a 549 megawatt natural gas combined cycle power plant on a 37.5 acres south of Moundsville. This site is currently owned by Honeywell International. The location is next to a Williams Energy fractionator and commonly known as the Allied Chemical site.

This $615 million plant is a base load facility generating power 24 hours per day.. The power is expected to be sold into the PJM Interconnection, a wholesale electricity transmission organization. Moundsville Power cited an economic impact study from Tom Witt of Economics LLC in Morgantown that estimates more than 400 construction jobs will be created during the plant’s estimated 30-month construction period.

Moundsville Power Spokesman Andrew W. Dorn Jr. said union craft labor will build the plant and it will be managed under a National Maintenance Agreement.

The project still needs to obtain state and federal approvals to develop and build the plant, but organizers anticipate construction to begin in 2015 and operations to begin by 2018. An application for an air quality permit with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection was filed October 7, 2013 by Moundsville Power LLC, but it has yet to be approved.

According to a December 2012 briefing from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, both Honeywell and Olin Corporation had been performing various cleanup activities at the site under the oversight of the EPA. Those activities included constructing a hazardous waste landfill and installing a soil vapor extraction system. Allied Signal operated the site from 1953 until 1980. The North Plant and the South Plant had “distinctly different chemical processes,” according to the EPA, with vastly different chemicals used at each.

The project is being dubbed the first “downstream” project proposed to utilize natural gas produced in Marshall County and throughout the Upper Ohio Valley. Don Rigby, executive director of the Regional Economic Development Partnership said his organization had been working with the Moundsville Power development team for more than a year “and will continue to provide assistance to help them as they work through the project’s development.

The PILOT or Payment in Lieu of Tax Agreement. The PILOT Agreement sets a fixed amount of property taxes to be paid on the project for 30 years and allows developers to seek financing with a predetermined property tax liability. The $4.2 million in PILOT payments will stay the same under the agreement, even if future levy rates are reduced. The agreement still requires approval from the Marshall County Board of Education. PILOT payments generated by the project would be treated the same as property tax payments and would be distributed to both Marshall County Schools and the commission.

The Marshall County Commission also must consider a resolution for a lease for the project, to work in conjunction with the PILOT agreement. KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., based in Cleveland, will act as the exclusive project finance advisor.

Moundsville Power will contract with a consortium made up of CH2M Hill and General Electric. CH2M is expected to build the plant and provide construction and operating guarantees and GE is expected to provide the natural gas turbines and power island equipment as well as a long-term contractual services agreement to ensure the efficient operation of the power project.

The plant plans to use GE 7.04 gas turbines in a two-by-one-configuration, according to Moundsville Power, explaining that the heat and rotational energy produced by the combustion of natural gas in a gas turbine will produce electricity. In turn, the exhaust heat from that process will be used to produce steam which then will drive a steam turbine to produce additional electricity without the use of additional natural gas, making the plant more fuel-efficient.