State Senator Terry Johnson (R-McDermott) commended the groundbreaking of a $33 billion natural gas power plant at the Portsmouth Site on March 20.
The announcement highlights a significant investment in Ohio’s energy infrastructure and is expected to have a major impact on local job creation and energy production. The project comes after recent negotiations between Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Japan’s economic and trade minister Ryosei Akazawa, resulting in Japan committing to substantial investments in key sectors of the American economy.
“Since 2011, I have encouraged natural gas usage and increasing Ohio’s energy generation,” said Senator Johnson. “It was a terrible mistake to tear down the coal plants in the first place which were burning coal more cleanly and efficiently than global standards. If China can burn our coal, why can’t we?”
The Trump Administration later announced that, as part of this deal, a $33 billion natural gas power facility will be built near Portsmouth. The new Portsmouth Natural Gas plant is estimated to produce 9.2 gigawatts of power, enough to supply millions of homes across Ohio and making it the largest natural gas power plant globally.
“After the Korean War, my own father once worked at this site, along with many other families from Portsmouth. It was how our community made its living,” Johnson said. “This will have a huge impact for local long-term job creation and go a long way in relieving the current energy crunch we find ourselves in.”
