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$900 million energy plant opens in Lordstown
Company trying to build second facility nearby
LORDSTOWN
A new $900 million power plant is up and running in the village.
Lordstown Energy Center, located on Henn Parkway in the Lordstown Industrial Park, announced Tuesday it has begun commercial operation.
The plant is a 940-megawatt, gas- fueled electricity generation plant. It uses natural gas to provide electricity to about 850,000 households.
“We are excited to serve customers with this state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly facility,” said Robert Haley, LEC operations director. “Our team is well-equipped and highly trained, and I’m pleased that we have begun 24/7 operations.”
He added: “We’re very grateful for the support we’ve received from our investors, employees, suppliers, local and state government leaders and the residents of our community, including hundreds of construction workers. Their cooperation and hard work were critical to our ability to achieve today’s milestone.”
The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber also weighed in on the opening, with President/CEO James Dignan saying, “We are happy to have helped bring this nearly $1 billion investment to the Mahoning Valley. The Lordstown Energy Center has already proven itself to be a good corporate citizen. We look forward to having the company be a part of our community for decades to come.”
LEC also announced that Drew Schneider, who previously worked on a Navy nuclear-power submarine and in leadership positions at numerous energy plants, will serve as plant manager.
“I’m humbled to be the plant manager and for the opportunity to both lead this state-of-the-art power plant and to become part of the greater Mahoning Valley community,” Schneider said. “It’s an exciting time, and I’m honored to lead our dedicated team.”
Ground was broken on LEC, which was developed by Clean Energy Future, in 2016.
Clean Energy Future is looking to develop a second $900 million plant, called Trumbull Energy Center, nearby. Those plans are currently the subject of litigation between Clean Energy Future and Clean Energy Future Lordstown.