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LORDSTOWN -- The Ohio Power Siting Board when it meets Thursday is expected to rule on a complaint the village filed with the regulatory agency over the construction of Trumbull Energy Center, a more than $1.2 billion power plant.
Also on the board's agenda is an item that would allow the plant to construct two temporary laydown yards, or areas on a construction site used to store vehicles, tools and equipment when they are not in use -- a proposal to which the village objects.
The village in July asked the state to suspend a certificate granted in October 2017 that allows the plant's owners to build, operate and maintain the facility. Among Lordstown's allegations is the facility does not comply with permit conditions over zoning.
The center claims the validity of the certificate is not dependent on the village's local zoning and the application "adequately described" the zoning designations of the property, including a 34-acre parcel that is zoned residential.
On the matter involving the laydown yards, siting board staff already has recommended changing the permit to allow for the areas plus other design adjustments, but not without conditions.
Last month, Steve Remillard, chief operating officer with Trumbull Asset Management, the Mars, Pa.-based company building the facility, said construction should be complete in November 2025, with the plant generating power in January 2026.
The 950-megawatt plant on state Route 45 near Henn Parkway during construction will provide an average of 400 construction jobs and peak at 600. From construction through its 40 years of operation, it's estimated to generate about $1.8 billion in economic activity.
Work to the foundation is underway to prepare the site for large pieces of equipment that include gas turbines from Germany, the generators, which are made in the U.S., and the boilers from South Korea.
The facility will connect with FirstEnergy high-voltage power lines in Lordstown to flow electricity northwest toward Cleveland and southeast toward Pittsburgh.