By Danielle DeBlasio

This May 17-19, Richmond hosted Riverrock RVA, an annual festival that encourages folks to spend time outside and explore the outdoors. The event’s title sponsor is Richmond-based Dominion Energy, one of the country’s largest suppliers of electricity and natural gas.

This year’s event drew outdoor enthusiasts from around the state, but also attracted environmental activists from many local and national organizations. The activists came out to spread awareness about Dominion’s proposal to build a new gas plant in Chesterfield County.

According to estimates of organizations including Appalachian Voices, Clean Virginia, Mothers out Front RVA, Sierra Club Virginia and Sunrise Richmond, Dominion’s proposed power plant would double the amount of Virginia’s air pollution while increasing costs to local energy customers.

Sunrise Richmond’s Politics & Partnerships Lead, Aries Loumis-Demetrakopoulos, explained, “The new proposed ‘peaker’ plant is meant to work in tandem with renewables during peak hours, but is fitted to burn more than just natural gas. With the plethora of proposed data centers in Virginia, it will more likely than not be running constantly with the increase in demand.”

Protestors from the aforementioned organizations were present throughout the day to share information about the project with festival attendees. Then, as the sun set, they moved to the top of a bridge that overlooks the site of Riverrock, and, in a visually dramatic action, held up illuminated signs spelling out “No New Gas Plant.”