A new generating unit capable of providing electricity to 120,000 homes in Maryland began operating on Sunday, announced Exelon, the parent of Baltimore Gas and Electric.
The new 120-megawatt unit, which will run primarily on natural gas with oil as a backup, increases the capacity at Exelon Generation's Perryman Generating Station near Aberdeen Proving Ground to 475 megawatts. It will be used to generate electricity during times of high, spiking electric demand.
The completion of the $122 million project, which Exelon said had a local economic impact of more than $11 million, was a commitment Exelon made as part of its 2012 merger with Constellation. Two other wind projects part of the merger commitments in western Maryland, the 40-megawatt Fourmile Wind Project and the 30-megawatt Fair Wind Energy Project, are under construction.
The new unit will contribute an average of $1.3 million per year in property taxes to Harford County.