Panda Power Funds has broken ground for its 778MW Stonewall power station in Loudoun County, Virginia, US.
The turnkey consortium of Bechtel and Siemens Energy has been selected as the project developer, which involves construction of a natural gas-fired, combined-cycle power plant.
The US-based private equity firm Panda Power Funds will start commercial operations at the plant on 1 June 2017.
Once commissioned, the power generating facility will be able to meet the energy requirements of up to 778,000 US households across Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia.
Bechtel is expected to provide project management, engineering, procurement, construction, and start-up services for the project.
Siemens will be responsible for delivering core power elements for the project, which will include natural gas and steam turbines, generators, and waste-heat-recovery boilers.
Panda Power Funds president and senior partner Todd W Carter said: "The Panda Stonewall project will contribute an estimated $7.1bn to Virginia’s economy during construction and the plant’s first ten years of operation."
The planned facility featuring advanced emissions-control technology will utilise treated wastewater for its cooling processes, which can facilitate conservation of the US state’s natural supply of drinking water.
It will also prevent the discharge of harmful nutrients into the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay watershed.
The station will be located in an industrial zone and screened by a naturally wooded area to reduce sightlines.
As it is planned for development alongside existing transmission lines, the facility will not require additional power lines to be constructed.
Image: Aerial view of the planned Stonewall power facility. Photo: courtesy of Bechtel Corporation.
