Panda Power Funds has entered into a joint venture with Sunbury Generation LP to develop, finance, construct and operate a 1,000 megawatt natural gas-fueled, combined-cycle power project near Shamokin Dam in Snyder County, Pennsylvania, which is expected to be one of the largest coal to natural gas conversion projects in the United States.
The Panda “Hummel Station” power facility will occupy an 18-acre parcel of the 192-acre Keystone Opportunity Expansion Zone at the site of the recently retired Sunbury coal-fired power plant. It is projected to supply large power markets, including Philadelphia and New York City, when it enters commercial operations in the second half of 2017. Panda Power Funds also has two Marcellus gas-fueled generating stations currently under construction in Bradford and Lycoming counties.
The facility’s access to Marcellus Shale gas through the Marc I, Regency and Transcontinental regional gas pipelines is expected to provide Hummel Station with a significant operating cost advantage. The plant will interconnect to the pipelines through a 35-mile lateral that will be constructed by a subsidiary of UGI Energy Services.
Panda’s Hummel generating station will also bring significant benefits to the region during construction and the life of the facility. Approximately 500 jobs will be generated to construct the power plant over a two and a half year period. Moreover, it will utilize the latest, most advanced emissions-control technology, making it one of the cleanest natural gas-fueled power plants in the nation.
Source: Panda Power Funds
