Several natural gas-fired power plants are under consideration in northern Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio that would take advantage of locally produced gas in the Utica and Marcellus shales.

While a handful of similar projects have been announced in Ohio and roughly 10 natural gas-fired plants have been approved in Pennsylvania (see Daily GPI, May 20, 2013), one company wants to construct two small-scale facilities in Tioga County, PA, and another in nearby Bradford County, PA, according to plans highlighted by IMG Midstream at a recent planning meeting in Bradford County.

IMG, which is based in Pennsylvania, wants to design all three facilities to generate 20 MW of electricity, enough to power more than 10,000 homes. IMG estimates that each plant would cost about $20 million to build and says construction could begin sometime next year.

IMG is also considering nine other sites in that corner of the state for similar facilities. The company has said it wants to be near Marcellus production and related infrastructure.

In eastern Ohio’s Carroll County, one of the state’s leading areas for Utica Shale development, Switzerland-based Advanced Power AG has announced plans to construct a $900 million natural gas-fired plant north of the county seat of Carrollton. That plant could produce up to 700 MW. A second plant has been announced by New York-based Terra-Gen Power LLC that would cost $800 million and produce 600 MW. It would also be located somewhere north of Carrollton.

IMG owns and operates small-scale natural gas generation projects and its focus is in the Northeast, while Advanced Power owns and manages power generation facilities and related infrastructure in Europe and North America. Terra-Gen Power is mainly focused on renewable energy such as wind, solar and geothermal.

The latest announcements come just days after a permit application was filed with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection by Chicago-based Invenergy LLC to construct one of the largest natural gas-fired power plants proposed in the state (see Daily GPI, Nov. 3). Invenergy wants to build a 1,300 MW facility in northeast Pennsylvania’s Lackawanna County. Another company, Florida-based NTE Energy LLC, also recently announced its plans for a 500 MW natural gas-fired power plant about 40 miles north of Cincinnati, OH.