The Issues
FHA opposes Tenaska’s second methane gas-fired power plant and is working to stop it. Expedition would add another major pollution source beside an operating plant. Its effects would reach beyond neighboring properties through air pollution, water demand, construction traffic, and utility corridors.
Two plants. A combined burden.
Residents would live with both plants at once. Expedition’s emissions would add to pollution from Tenaska’s existing Virginia Generating Station and other regional sources. Separate permits do not separate the air people breathe. FHA’s air and health research addresses those combined burdens; modeled health estimates describe potential impacts, not measured future illness.
Dry cooling still uses water
Tenaska now projects average operating water use of approximately 0.6 million gallons a day. The earlier 6–7 million gallon estimate applied to the former wet-cooled design.
The lower operating estimate does not establish construction demand, peak demand, or protection for private wells. FHA calls for documented water sources, baseline well testing, monitoring, and enforceable responsibility for correcting damage.
Tenaska’s water-use statements
The footprint extends beyond the plant
Before the county vote, presentations emphasized a 50-acre developed footprint on two parcels and existing utility lines. The SCC application describes a proposed 500-kV connection, switchyard, substation work, and supporting infrastructure. Pipelines, easements, access roads and construction disturbance add to the land affected. At the September 16 update, routes and the extent of disturbance remained unsettled.
Traffic and noise affect daily life
Construction brings truck traffic and road disruption beyond the site. The TRC traffic study addresses traffic, intersections and proposed road improvements. Noise can disrupt sleep and affect health; revised cooling equipment and nighttime operations affect the plant’s noise impact.
TRC Tenaska traffic study (PDF, 66 MB) · EPA: noise and health
Tenaska identified vulnerable communities
Tenaska’s environmental justice study identifies potential environmental justice communities within five miles of Expedition. ERM recommended additional protections. Recommendations are not enforceable commitments. FHA calls for binding protections, independent verification, and remedies when protections fail.
Environmental Justice in Fluvanna
County approval was not the last word
Fluvanna approved Expedition on March 18, 2026, despite its Planning Commission’s recommendation to deny the permit and significant community opposition. State approvals remain. FHA is calling on state regulators to deny the project. Promised jobs and tax revenue do not erase the environmental burdens residents would carry.