Moriah Energy Center Air Permitting Hearing

Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community and have access to clean water and air. Dominion Energy’s plans for the Moriah Energy Center are already putting that at risk.

The Moriah Energy Center is a proposed liquified natural gas storage facility in Person County near the border of Durham and Granville Counties. This facility is part of a large proposed expansion of methane gas infrastructure in North Carolina.

The plant will initially store 25 million gallons of methane gas, with plans for another 25 million gallon tank in the future.  The proposed site is hundreds of feet away from private homes and near a number of water bodies that are home to threatened aquatic species.

Community members have been fighting this facility since September 2023, including giving nearly two hours of public comment in opposition to the facility during a Person County Commissioners meeting and requesting impact studies. But commissioners unanimously approved rezoning for the facility in December. In recent months, Dominion has clearcut 70 acres of land in its pre-construction phase, resulting in sediment pollution from creeks running off through neighbors’ land. These streams eventually flow into Lake Michie, the primary source of drinking water for Durham residents.

The North Carolina Division of Air Quality — part of the NC Department of Environmental Quality — is seeking input from the public on Dominion’s request for an air quality permit for the Moriah Energy Center. This is an important opportunity to voice your concerns about air pollution since this is the only permit the DEQ is requiring of Dominion for the project. Attend the public hearing and tell DEQ to deny the air permit!