Kentucky firm to dismantle Cheswick Generating Station for potential redevelopment

The Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale Borough, slated to close on April 1 after more than 50 years of operation, has been purchased by a Kentucky firm that specializes in remediation of coal-fired power stations.

Charah Solutions, based in Louisville, said Thursday it will dismantle the plant and potentially use the 56-acre property for renewable energy and battery storage options.

GenOn Holdings announced in June 2021 that the plant would permanently close in September 2021, later moving the closure date to April. At the time, the company blamed the closure on “unfavorable economic conditions, higher costs including those associated with environmental compliance, an inability to compete with other generation types and evolving market rules that promote subsidized sources.”

The Springdale station is the last coal-fired power plant in Allegheny County.

In its Thursday statement, Charah said the purchase agreement with Houston-based GenOn was made official in December 2021. Ownership will transfer in April, when the plant ceases electrical generation operation.

The agreement includes the purchase of surrounding GenOn properties — the Lefever Ash Landfill, located three miles northwest of the power plant, and the Monarch Wastewater Treatment Facility, located on seven acres in the borough and in Springdale Township.

News of the closure in July was met with mixed feelings by community members who either mourned the loss of jobs or celebrated the end of a coal-burning plant and related environmental concerns. More than 50 jobs will be lost.

Springdale Council President Mitch Karaica, who is a GenOn employee, said the closure will hurt the community, resulting in loss of tax dollars, water and sewer revenues and traction for small businesses.

“This is just another example of what happens to small communities when people from outside our community, along with government agencies and their policies, force industrial facilities to close,” he said.

A Charah subsidiary, Charah Environmental Redevelopment Group (CERG), will be responsible for the shutdown and decommissioning of the plant, the remediation of the two ash ponds and performing all environmental remediation and redevelopment work at the site.

“This is the end of an era for Cheswick, and the retirement of this facility reflects the changes occurring in our nation and around the world,” GenOn CEO David Freysinger said.

This is Charah’s fifth major Environmental Risk Transfer (ERT) project and the second major project with GenOn.

“The Cheswick project is another example of Charah Solutions providing a custom approach for these complex projects while sustainably remediating the site and redeveloping the properties in an environmentally responsible manner designed to create economic and environmental benefits for the entire community,” Charah Solutions President and CEO Scott Sewell said.

The statement from Charah said that potential redevelopment will feature re-using “the existing transmission system, re-use of the switchyard, transportation and logistics that utilize the river shipping assets, and other potential industrial uses.”