Linda Harris BIG PLANS – Tenaska's Ali Kairys said they're expanding a plan for regional carbon capture storage to include a natural-gas fueled power plant in Jefferson County.

STEUBENVILLE — Omaha-based Tenaska unveiled plans Thursday for a natural gas-fueled power plant on a 562-acre parcel in Saline Township.

Ali Kairys, senior director of project development for Tenaska, told Jefferson County commissioners the project builds on existing plans for a carbon capture storage hub in the region.

Kairys said the plant, as envisioned, will be capable of generating up to 1,700 megawatts, “enough to reliably power (about) 1.7 million homes” and create about 25 permanent jobs. It will occupy about 50 of the 562 acres, with the remainder to serve as a buffer.

She said the company is currently working through the permitting stage. If all goes as planned, she said construction could begin in 2028, with the plant coming online in late 2032 or early 2033. It would create around 25 permanent jobs.

Given the expanded focus, Kairys said the project in its entirety is being rebranded as the “Tri-State Energy Hub.”

“We’ve always considered CCS an enabler, a business solution for existing industry but also an opportunity to attract new business investment,” she said. “PJM, which operates the local grid here, is in need of reliable power generation locally and this project will offer a solution.”

Tenaska has already applied for permits for 30 CO2 injection wells in a six-county project area — Jefferson, Harrison and Carroll counties in Ohio, Hancock and Marshall counties in West Virginia and Washington County, Pennsylvania.

“We’ll capture the carbon before it’s released into the atmosphere,” she said. “We’ll dehydrate it so it liquefies and then we can transport it via pipeline to various well sites where we’ll store it permanently underground with a thick layer of control rock that covers it. This type of project coexists well with oil and gas, which is very important to the local economy here.”

Kairys said the economic impact to the tri-state on the CCS side had been estimated at around $1 billion. She said the company has commissioned a similar study for the power plant.

“We should know later this summer, hopefully, what the economic impact will be,” she said.

Commissioner Jake Kleineke was enthusiastic about the jobs and revenue it will bring to Jefferson County, while Commissioner Eric Timmons said they look forward to “seeing where this goes.”

“I think it’s great,” Commissioner Tony Morelli added. “I appreciate Tenaska investing in Jefferson County and Saline Township. It’s good news.”