By Heather Michon
Correspondent
Tenaska representatives have asked the Fluvanna County Planning Commission to defer action on the company’s application for special-use permits for its proposed Expedition Generation power plant until Feb. 24, citing the need for additional time to refine permit conditions.
The company said the Jan. 7 joint work session between the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission highlighted areas “where more work and collaboration are needed” on the proposed conditions of the special use permit.
This meeting was structured as a staff-led discussion on how the county will evaluate Tenaska’s application. No votes were taken, no public comment was heard, and Tenaska representatives, though present, did not address the boards.
County staff reviewed 38 draft special use permit conditions submitted by the applicant, noting that the language remains subject to revision.
County Administrator Eric Dahl said the county is working with several outside experts in its review, including land-use attorneys from Sands Anderson, planning and zoning consultants from The Berkley Group, and environmental consultants from Potesta & Associates.
The consultants are assisting with legal review of permit language, land-use analysis, and coordination with state environmental permitting requirements overseen by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
Dahl said the review remains a work in progress, with some supporting materials, including a traffic impact analysis, still in draft form.
Among the most closely watched provisions discussed during the work session were those addressing allowable noise levels, vegetative buffers, and long-term land management requirements, all of which have drawn significant public attention. How those provisions will be monitored and enforced remains under review.
Tenaska cannot proceed with its application for state environmental permits without local approvals in place, and the company’s request to defer action on the special use permit extends the local review process into the spring.
The Planning Commission is scheduled to first consider whether the proposal is substantially in accord with the county’s Comprehensive Plan at its Jan. 13 meeting.
County officials said the outcome of that discussion “will determine when and how the project moves forward,” including when other permit-related items may be taken up for consideration.
