Civic group, residents voice concerns about proposed power plant
The Lower Lackawanna Valley Citizens Alliance and residents expressed significant concerns about the proposed Old Forge Pumped Storage Project, a hydroelectric power plant, citing environmental and health risks. The group believes the plant, which would use acid mine drainage and incorporate a natural gas generator, is designed to serve an undisclosed data center. Residents fear eminent domain and the destruction of natural resources as a precursor to data center development in their area.
Residents from Old Forge, Ransom Township, and Duryea, organized by the Lower Lackawanna Valley Citizens Alliance, attended a meeting at the Old Forge Fire Department to learn about the proposed Old Forge Pumped Storage Project. The project, put forth by Renewable Energy Aggregators Inc. of Pittston and Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, involves constructing two large reservoirs and a 200-megawatt power plant facility spanning Old Forge, Ransom Township (Lackawanna County), and Duryea (Luzerne County).
Michelle Wadika, vice chair of the Citizens Alliance, highlighted concerns that the facility's generation capacity would not go to the wider power grid but to an "onsite, undisclosed location," which the group suspects is a data center. She also raised alarm about the unprecedented combination of high-pressure pumping and storage of acid mine drainage with fossil fuel burning. The group's communication director, Sandy Dickison, emphasized that opposing the power plant is crucial for preventing data centers from coming to their towns.
James Cianci, chair of the Alliance, clarified that while no data center is currently planned, the group believes the proposed pumped storage hydro power plant will "inevitably serve a data center." He cited the incorporation of a 200-megawatt natural gas generator and the potential use of acid mine drainage from the Old Forge borehole to fill reservoirs as major concerns, along with the risk of mine subsidences in the valley. Residents, including Cheryl Macheska of Ransom Township, voiced fears of catastrophic consequences akin to historical dam failures, stressing the need to protect green space and water for future generations.