The formation of O.R.R.D. began with the issue of a power plant to be built in a residential/agricultural area of Liberty Township (Fairfield County). O.R.R.D. provided accurate information regarding the progress and downfall of this power plant through its website www.nopowerplant.com.

The Aquila power company of Kansas City, Missouri proposed building a 320 MW, natural gas-powered peaking power plant in Liberty Township (Fairfield County, Ohio). The proposed plant had four modified jet engine turbines with 60-80 ft. exhaust stacks. It would've produce electricity for sale on the open market during "peak" season for 1,500 hours during the summer. The plant would've cost approximately 150 million dollars to build and employed 10 full time workers (8 of which would've be filled locally). The company optioned the 116 acre Kilbarger property landlocked between SR 158, Basil Road SW, SR 204, and Blacklick Road. Approximately 100 homes are within 2 miles of this site. Although the site is zoned agricultural, Aquila applied to the Ohio Power Siting Board for a special permit to install the power plant without changing the zoning.

Area residents had many concerns about this proposal. First, the plant needed 100 gpm of water to run efficiently. Experts at the Ohio Division of Water stated that the aquifer under this area cannot supply that amount of water. Plant officials stated that if the water table was insufficient, the plant could've been run without water. However, they never built a plant without water, usually from a municipal source. If water lines were run from Baltimore, Fairfield County, or the Licking water district to the plant, remaining farmland would've been threatened by more development. Further, the waste water from this plant would've needed to be disposed of. In a permit for a similar plant in NW Ohio, Aquila estimated 9,000 gallons of water per 16 hr. day, would've been needed to be discharged. Because this site is at the headwaters of Walnut creek watershed, there is no tributary capable of taking that amount of treated water.

Although natural gas is "clean burning", it still emits nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, and fine particulate matter, which can be harmful to children, the elderly, and people with respiratory disease. The plant would've obtained a license to pollute our community based on 20 year old EPA standards. Noise and light pollution would've also damaged the rural atmosphere of the surrounding homes. Property values would've plummeted and the plant would've opened the door for additional industrial zoning in a rural area.

Aquila touted itself as a "good neighbor" but tried to avoid paying its fair share of taxes. The revenue that would've come to our community would've not been enough to cover the costs of future housing developments.

Do we really need more electricity? The basis these plants use for getting permits is a 1998 ECAR report (the organization that manages a nine-state electric power grid-including Ohio). The report raised a need for 20,000 megawatts of additional power for the nine state region by 2007. Since 1998, Ohio alone has approved the construction of more than 14,000 MW of new generating capacity - 2/3 of the projected need for the entire region! The energy produced at Aquila's proposed plant would've been sold on the open market to the highest bidder - to make money for their stock holders, not because Fairfield county residents "needed" more energy.

On September 23, 2002, Aquila, Inc. WITHDREW its plans to build the peaking power plant in a rural residential area in Liberty Township, Fairfield County. Aquila announced in a press release that they will NOT be building the power plant now, or in the future. However, O.R.R.D. will continue to work with the state legislature and environmental groups to impose a moratorium on power plants in the State of Ohio.

• Aquila's Proposal
• Plant Rendering
• News Archive
• Common Questions
• Pollution Concerns
• Noise Concerns
• Tax Issues
• Water Issue
• Property Values
• O.R.R.D. Power Plant Poll

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