# Bear Garden

PJM Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle · https://askthegrid.com/assets/facilities/bear-garden

Bear Garden is a natural gas-fired power facility with 559 MW of EIA-reported nameplate capacity in Buckingham County, Virginia, registered as EIA Plant ID 56807. Virginia Electric & Power Co owns and operates the plant. At 559 MW of total nameplate capacity, Bear Garden is listed as the #11-largest plant in Virginia and #435-largest in the United States by capacity. It is an operating natural-gas facility interconnected with PJM. Commercial operation began in May 2011.

## Key facts

- Technology: Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle
- Power capacity: 559 MW
- Operating status: operating

## Grid and market context

- ISO/RTO: PJM
- Balancing authority: PJM Interconnection, LLC (PJM)
- Transmission owner: Virginia Electric & Power Co.

## Source-backed facts

- Owner logo domain: dominionenergy.com — Power Stations | Dominion Energy · confidence: high
- Description: Bear Garden is an operating three-generator natural-gas-fired combined-cycle generating station in Buckingham County, Virginia, with 559 MW of total nameplate capacity. EIA/FERC registry records identify generators 1A, 1B, and 1C, with first operation in May 2011; the facility is operated by Virginia Electric & Power Co. The plant can also use distillate fuel oil as a backup fuel. — MBR | Index · confidence: medium
- Description: Bear Garden is an operating three-generator natural-gas-fired combined-cycle generating station in Buckingham County, Virginia, with 559 MW of total nameplate capacity. EIA/FERC registry records identify generators 1A, 1B, and 1C, with first operation in May 2011; the facility is operated by Virginia Electric & Power Co. The plant can also use distillate fuel oil as a backup fuel. — Source · confidence: medium
- Identifiers.1: {"value":"1A, 1B, 1C; unit code CC1","system":"EIA/FERC generator identifiers"} — MBR | Index · confidence: high
- Identifiers.2: {"value":"16952, 16953, 16954","system":"FERC MBR record IDs"} — MBR | Index · confidence: medium
- Identifiers.5: {"value":"ET-192","system":"Virginia SCC generating-facility certificate"} — Source · confidence: high
- Parties.2: {"relationship":"EPC contractor","name":"Fluor Corporation","official_url":"https://www.fluor.com/projects/bear-garden-gas-fueled-power-epc"} — Bear Garden Generating Station, Virginia · confidence: high
- Parties.3: {"relationship":"Combustion-turbine OEM","name":"GE","official_url":"https://www.ge.com/"} — Midwest Plant Orders First GE 7F Gas Turbine Dry Low NOx 2.6+ Solution as Latest Adoption of GE's Power FlexEfficiency* Portfolio Technologies | GE News · confidence: high
- Construction scope: Combined-cycle natural-gas-fired generating station built in a two-on-one configuration with two combustion turbines and one steam turbine. EIA/FERC generator records identify three installed generators: 1A (145 MW), 1B (152 MW), and 1C, the combined-cycle steam part (262 MW). Fluor provided engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning services. — Bear Garden Generating Station, Virginia · confidence: medium
- Product url: https://www.gevernova.com/gas-power/products/gas-turbines/7f — 7F Heavy Duty Gas Turbine | 7F.04/7F.05 | GE Vernova · confidence: medium
- Product family: GE 7FA — 7F Heavy Duty Gas Turbine | 7F.04/7F.05 | GE Vernova · confidence: medium
- Description: Bear Garden is an operating natural-gas-fired combined-cycle station in New Canton, Buckingham County, Virginia, with three EIA-registered generators and 559 MW of total nameplate capacity. Virginia Electric & Power Co., operating as Dominion Virginia Power/Dominion Energy, owns and operates the facility. Dominion acquired the development rights from Tenaska Virginia Partners II, L.P. on March 4, 2008, and Fluor provided engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning services. Construction began in April 2009 and commercial operation began in May 2011; ultralow-sulfur diesel is available as a backup fuel. — Source · confidence: medium
- Description: Bear Garden is an operating natural-gas-fired combined-cycle station in New Canton, Buckingham County, Virginia, with three EIA-registered generators and 559 MW of total nameplate capacity. Virginia Electric & Power Co., operating as Dominion Virginia Power/Dominion Energy, owns and operates the facility. Dominion acquired the development rights from Tenaska Virginia Partners II, L.P. on March 4, 2008, and Fluor provided engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning services. Construction began in April 2009 and commercial operation began in May 2011; ultralow-sulfur diesel is available as a backup fuel. — Source · confidence: medium
- Quality notes: ["Capacity figures use different reporting bases: the EIA-based record gives 559 MW of total nameplate capacity, Dominion lists 628.1 MW of net generating capacity, and project sources cite approximately 580 MW or 590 MW. These figures should not be treated as interchangeable.","The EIA-based record identifies three generators, while Fluor describes the combined-cycle configuration as two combustion turbines whose exhaust produces steam for a steam turbine; The reported $619 million figure is described as the station cost, not as financing or sale consideration."] — Source · confidence: medium
- Quality notes: ["Capacity figures use different reporting bases: the EIA-based record gives 559 MW of total nameplate capacity, Dominion lists 628.1 MW of net generating capacity, and project sources cite approximately 580 MW or 590 MW. These figures should not be treated as interchangeable.","The EIA-based record identifies three generators, while Fluor describes the combined-cycle configuration as two combustion turbines whose exhaust produces steam for a steam turbine; The reported $619 million figure is described as the station cost, not as financing or sale consideration."] — Source · confidence: medium
- Quality notes: ["Capacity figures use different reporting bases: the EIA-based record gives 559 MW of total nameplate capacity, Dominion lists 628.1 MW of net generating capacity, and project sources cite approximately 580 MW or 590 MW. These figures should not be treated as interchangeable.","The EIA-based record identifies three generators, while Fluor describes the combined-cycle configuration as two combustion turbines whose exhaust produces steam for a steam turbine; The reported $619 million figure is described as the station cost, not as financing or sale consideration."] — Source · confidence: medium
- Financing summary: ENR reported a $619 million Bear Garden station cost; that figure is a project or construction cost, not an identified financing amount or acquisition consideration. Dominion's documented transaction was the acquisition of development rights from Tenaska on March 4, 2008, with no purchase price stated. — Source · confidence: medium
- Timeline.0: {"event":"Original development permission","date":"2001","detail":"The Bear Garden development project was previously permitted by Tenaska Virginia Partners of Omaha."} — Source · confidence: medium
- Timeline.4: {"event":"Construction start","date":"2009-04","detail":"Fluor received the engineering, procurement and construction contract from Dominion and began construction."} — Source · confidence: high
- Timeline.5: {"event":"Commercial operation","date":"2011-05","detail":"Dominion Virginia Power began commercial operations in May 2011; a May 24, 2011 announcement stated that operations had begun the preceding Monday."} — Source · confidence: high
- Quality notes.0: Capacity figures use different reporting bases: the EIA-based record gives 559 MW of total nameplate capacity, Dominion lists 628.1 MW of net generating capacity, and project sources cite approximately 580 MW or 590 MW. These figures should not be treated as interchangeable. — Source · confidence: high
- Quality notes.0: Capacity figures use different reporting bases: the EIA-based record gives 559 MW of total nameplate capacity, Dominion lists 628.1 MW of net generating capacity, and project sources cite approximately 580 MW or 590 MW. These figures should not be treated as interchangeable. — Source · confidence: high
- Quality notes.0: Capacity figures use different reporting bases: the EIA-based record gives 559 MW of total nameplate capacity, Dominion lists 628.1 MW of net generating capacity, and project sources cite approximately 580 MW or 590 MW. These figures should not be treated as interchangeable. — Source · confidence: high
- Quality notes.1: The EIA-based record identifies three generators, while Fluor describes the combined-cycle configuration as two combustion turbines whose exhaust produces steam for a steam turbine; this is a configuration description rather than an inference from capacity. — Source · confidence: high
- Quality notes.2: The reported $619 million figure is described as the station cost, not as financing or sale consideration. — Source · confidence: medium
- Commercial parties.0: {"relationship":"Owner and operator","name":"Virginia Electric & Power Co. (Dominion Virginia Power / Dominion Energy)","detail":"Dominion acquired the development rights in March 2008, developed the facility, and operates the Bear Garden station.","official_url":"https://www.dominionenergy.com/"} — Source · confidence: medium
- Commercial parties.1: {"relationship":"Prior developer and development-rights transferor","name":"Tenaska Virginia Partners II, L.P.","detail":"Tenaska previously held the permitted development project and transferred or sold the Bear Garden development rights to Dominion Virginia Power on March 4, 2008.","official_url":"https://www.tenaska.com/"} — Source · confidence: medium
- Commercial parties.2: {"relationship":"EPC contractor","name":"Fluor Corporation","detail":"Fluor provided engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning services and constructed the plant on a lump-sum basis.","official_url":"https://www.fluor.com/"} — Source · confidence: high
- Acquisition date: 2008-03-04 — Bear Garden Blooming | The Farmville Herald · confidence: high
- Replacement or repowering: No replacement or repowering is identified; PJM selected a Bear Garden 230 kV uprate project, AH1-687, with a requested in-service date in 2029, 682 MW MFO, and 51 MW of capacity. — Reliability Resource Initiative Additional Summaries · confidence: high
- Resource type: Gas Combined Cycle Dual — Sheet1 · confidence: medium
- Status detail: Bear Garden is operating as a three-generator natural-gas combined-cycle plant. Current records identify it as operational, while PJM lists Bear Garden as an existing gas combined-cycle capacity resource and separately identifies a 2029 uprate project. — Sheet1 · confidence: medium
- Grid role: Intermediate-capacity generation in PJM's Dominion Zone and an existing PJM capacity resource. — Sheet1 · confidence: medium
- Operating status: operating — Power Stations · confidence: high

## Timeline

- 2001 — Original development permission
  The Bear Garden development project was previously permitted by Tenaska Virginia Partners of Omaha.
  Source: Source (https://enr.com/articles/18672-2-bear-garden-power-station)
- 2008-03-11 — Certificate application
  Virginia Electric & Power Company filed its application for approval to construct and operate Bear Garden and the associated transmission interconnection line.
  Source: Source (https://scc.virginia.gov/docketsearch/DOCS/1v%24w01%21.PDF)
- 2009-04 — Construction start
  Fluor received the engineering, procurement and construction contract from Dominion and began construction.
  Source: Source (https://enr.com/articles/18672-2-bear-garden-power-station)
- 2011-05 — Commercial operation
  Dominion Virginia Power began commercial operations in May 2011; a May 24, 2011 announcement stated that operations had begun the preceding Monday.
  Source: Source (https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dominion-virginia-power-brings-bear-garden-power-station-into-service-122498073.html)

## Sources

- [Power Stations](https://www.dominionenergy.com/en/About/Making-Energy/Power-Stations) — dominionenergy.com · tier other
- [MBR | Index](https://mbrweb.ferc.gov/SearchlkpEIA/Index?page=340) — mbrweb.ferc.gov · tier regulatory
- [Source](https://www.scc.virginia.gov/docketsearch/DOCS/1v%24w01%21.PDF) — scc.virginia.gov · tier regulatory
- [Source](https://ghgdata.epa.gov/ghgp/xml/2023.do?id=1000550&et=undefined) — ghgdata.epa.gov · tier regulatory
- [Bear Garden Generating Station, Virginia](https://www.fluor.com/projects/bear-garden-gas-fueled-power-epc) — fluor.com · tier other
- [Midwest Plant Orders First GE 7F Gas Turbine Dry Low NOx 2.6+ Solution as Latest Adoption of GE's Power FlexEfficiency* Portfolio Technologies | GE News](https://www.ge.com/news/press-releases/midwest-plant-orders-first-ge-7f-gas-turbine-dry-low-nox-26-solution-latest-adoption) — ge.com · tier other
- [Bear Garden Blooming | The Farmville Herald](https://farmvilleherald.com/2010/09/bear-garden-blooming/) — farmvilleherald.com · tier other
- [Source](https://fluor.com/projects/bear-garden-gas-fueled-power-epc) — fluor.com · tier other
- [7F Heavy Duty Gas Turbine | 7F.04/7F.05 | GE Vernova](https://www.gevernova.com/gas-power/products/gas-turbines/7f) — gevernova.com · tier other
- [Source](https://scc.virginia.gov/docketsearch/DOCS/1v%24w01%21.PDF) — scc.virginia.gov · tier regulatory
- [Source](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dominion-virginia-power-brings-bear-garden-power-station-into-service-122498073.html) — prnewswire.com · tier other
- [Source](https://dominionenergy.com/en/About/Making-Energy/Power-Stations) — dominionenergy.com · tier other
- [Source](https://enr.com/articles/18672-2-bear-garden-power-station) — enr.com · tier other
- [Power plant profile: Bear Garden Power Station, US](https://www.power-technology.com/data-insights/power-plant-profile-bear-garden-power-station-us/) — power-technology.com · tier other
- [Sheet1](https://www.pjm.com/-/media/DotCom/markets-ops/rpm/rpm-auction-info/2025-2026/2025-2026-rpm-existing-resource-list-post.xlsx) — pjm.com · tier other
- [Reliability Resource Initiative Additional Summaries](https://www.pjm.com/-/media/DotCom/committees-groups/committees/pc/2025/20250506/20250506-rri-addendum---post-meeting.pdf) — pjm.com · tier other

## Data quality

- Capacity figures use different reporting bases: the EIA-based record gives 559 MW of total nameplate capacity, Dominion lists 628.1 MW of net generating capacity, and project sources cite approximately 580 MW or 590 MW. These figures should not be treated as interchangeable. The EIA-based record identifies three generators, while Fluor describes the combined-cycle configuration as two combustion turbines whose exhaust produces steam for a steam turbine; this is a configuration description rather than an inference from capacity. The reported $619 million figure is described as the station cost, not as financing or sale consideration.

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