Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell and DEP Northcentral Regional Director Marcus Kohl Wednesday visited the construction site of the 1,124 MW Panda Hummel Station Power Project in Shamokin Dam, Snyder County to discuss the project with facility representatives and the media.

When completed, the Panda Hummel Station Power Facility will use efficient combined-cycle technology, fueled by natural gas, to supply the power needs of more than one million homes.

“This project will use our own natural gas resources to provide continuous, baseload power with a much lighter environmental footprint,” said McDonnell. “It is exciting to see this investment in Pennsylvania infrastructure firsthand as it comes together.”

The permanent replacement of six existing coal-fired utility boilers with one steam turbine and three natural gas turbines with advanced emissions-control technology will result in a significant net reduction of emissions of air pollutants, including carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and ozone.

The new facility will also use an evaporative cooling system, withdrawing, and discharging a fraction of the cooling water required by the retired facility.

Representatives from Panda Power Funds provided a tour of the site and discussed the project’s innovative design and environmental benefits. The facility is nearly 90 percent complete and is anticipated to open in 2018.  It will be one of the largest coal-to-natural-gas replacements in the country.

Related Story:

Natural Gas Power Plants Being Reviewed By DEP Could Replace All Coal-Fired Plants In PA

[Posted: Nov. 15, 2017]

11/20/2017