Dominion Filed a WV Permit for Power That Will Flow to Virginia
Dominion Energy, headquartered in Virginia, filed an application on July 22, 2026 with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to modify its existing air quality permit at the Mt. Storm Power Station in Grant County. The modification would allow the company to build a new natural gas plant alongside the existing coal-fired facility.
The new plant would add 2.6 gigawatts of generating capacity. The existing coal plant, at 1.6 GW, would stay online. Together they would form what Dominion calls the Mt. Storm Combined Cycle Station.
West Virginia residents will bear the environmental cost. Dominion spokesperson Jeremy Slayton confirmed the power will “serve [Dominion Energy’s] customers in Virginia.” Excess power would flow to the PJM Interconnection grid, which serves 13 states including West Virginia.
9.85 Million Tons of Greenhouse Gases Per Year, Proposed
The permit application lists the proposed annual emissions from the combined site. The numbers are substantial.
9.85 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions proposed annually from the Mt. Storm Combined Cycle Station, per Dominion’s WV DEP filing
The application also lists 2,917 tons of carbon monoxide per year, 1,114 tons of volatile organic compounds, and 752 tons of nitrogen oxides. The modified permit would allow up to 75,000 more tons of greenhouse gases than the current permit allows. Grant County, a rural Appalachian community, would host those emissions while the electricity exits the state.
Dominion projects commercial operations could begin by 2033. The plant would run on four combustion turbines burning piped-in natural gas. The filing does not identify a source for that gas. Two 4-million-gallon diesel storage tanks would serve as backup fuel when gas is unavailable.
The Governance Gap Leaves WV Residents Without a Voice
No Virginia regulatory body reviews this permit. The WV DEP will decide whether to approve or deny the air quality modification. Virginia’s State Corporation Commission, which oversees Dominion’s rates and operations for Virginia customers, has no jurisdiction over the West Virginia construction or emissions.
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey announced the project in a July 28, 2026 news release, framing it as an economic win. Dominion estimates 1,400 construction jobs and 150 permanent positions once the plant is complete. Those jobs would go to Grant County residents, but the state government earns no structural guarantee that a proportionate share of the generated electricity stays in-state.
The PJM grid, which would receive any excess power, serves 65 million people across 13 states. West Virginia is one of them, but participation in PJM does not give state residents or regulators a seat in Dominion’s planning process for this project.
What You Can Do Now
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Comment to the WV DEP during its public review period. The agency must accept public comments on air quality permit modifications. Contact the WV DEP Office of Air Quality at (304) 926-0475 or submit written comments to 601 57th Street SE, Charleston, WV 25304. Tell them you want a full public hearing in Grant County before the permit is approved.
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Contact your West Virginia state legislators. Call the WV Legislature at (304) 347-4836 and ask your delegate and senator to introduce legislation requiring that any power plant permitted in West Virginia and built primarily for out-of-state customers must undergo environmental review with binding public comment from affected communities.
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Contact Virginia’s State Corporation Commission. The SCC regulates Dominion’s Virginia operations. Email the SCC at [email protected] and ask whether Virginia ratepayers will be charged for construction costs of a plant sited in another state, and whether the SCC will require Dominion to disclose the emissions impact on Grant County residents in its next integrated resource plan filing.
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Reach the Sierra Club’s WV chapter, which monitors WV DEP air quality proceedings. Contact them at wv.sierraclub.org to get on the notification list for the public comment period on Dominion’s permit modification.
Sources
West Virginia DEP: Office of Air Quality Permitting and Compliance
PJM Interconnection: About PJM, Grid Coverage and Member States
Dominion Energy: Virginia State Corporation Commission Integrated Resource Plan Filings
KFF: Environmental Justice and Rural Appalachian Health Disparities
customers in Virginia”, Jeremy Slayton, Dominion Energy spokesperson, July 2026, West Virginia Watch]