Bucks Neighbors Question Tenaska’s Proposed Longleaf Energy Hub Gas Plant and Carbon Capture Project

BUCKS, Ala. — Some residents near the north Mobile County community of Bucks say they have more questions than answers about the Longleaf Energy Hub, a proposed natural gas power plant and carbon capture and storage project that Tenaska is developing near their homes.

The Nebraska-based energy company says the project still needs a series of local, state and federal permits before it can move forward. Tenaska has scheduled an informational meeting for Thursday, Nov. 19, at 5 p.m. at the Turnerville Volunteer Fire Department building, where neighbors will be able to ask questions directly. An RSVP is required by Nov. 13.

Letters Leave Bucks Neighbors With Questions

Lacey Chestang, who lives in northern Mobile County, reached out to a reporter through Facebook about letters that some neighbors received describing the proposed development. Chestang said not everyone got a letter — she did not — and those who did came away without a clear sense of what the project would mean for people living nearby.

Chestang said they have many questions about the letter, which uses complex language that fails to clearly explain the impacts on the environment, animals, or local plants.

Chestang said residents also want to know exactly where on the property the facilities would be built, and whether they still have a voice in the outcome.

Chestang said the situation has left them confused and worried because a lot is coming into the area, yet officials are portraying it as beneficial, and they will need to explain it thoroughly.

What Tenaska Is Proposing Near Bucks

Tenaska calls the development the Longleaf Energy Hub. It combines two pieces: a natural gas-fueled power plant and a carbon capture and storage, or CCS, facility.

According to the company, the power plant would be a combined-cycle facility capable of generating up to 750 megawatts of electricity. Tenaska says that is enough to power approximately 750,000 homes.

The company says the plant itself would occupy about 50 acres of a 520-acre site. Tenaska says the location was chosen in part because it already has access to natural gas, water and existing power transmission lines — three key ingredients for a gas-fired generating station.

On its project website, Tenaska says it added the power plant to its Mobile County plans in 2026, citing a growing need for reliable power, economic growth in South Alabama and what it described as a positive reception for the carbon storage project. The company says the plant would be located within the CCS project footprint, and that it has the flexibility to fully integrate the power plant with the carbon storage hub or to advance the two independently.

Background: The Longleaf CCS Hub

The power plant is a newer addition to a project Tenaska has been working on for several years. The company says it has been active in Mobile County since 2022, promoting carbon capture and storage as a way to manage carbon dioxide emissions and compensating landowners for subsurface rights.

Tenaska formally announced the carbon storage effort, then called the Longleaf CCS Hub, at an event in Mobile in March 2024. At the time, the company pitched it as a way to help manufacturers, power plants and other industrial operations in South Alabama manage their carbon emissions, and as a draw for new businesses considering the region.

The CCS portion has received federal support for early work. The project is participating in a U.S. Department of Energy award that allows for $17.9 million in funding to support geologic characterization and permitting. The Southern States Energy Board is the award recipient, and the project team announced in 2024 included Tenaska, the Geological Survey of Alabama and the University of South Alabama, among others.

Tenaska says it has submitted an application to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for four carbon dioxide injection wells across its project footprint near Bucks.

How Carbon Capture and Storage Works

Carbon capture and storage is a process for keeping carbon dioxide produced by power plants and industrial facilities out of the atmosphere. In general, the CO2 is separated from a facility’s emissions, compressed and moved by pipeline to injection wells, where it is pumped deep underground into rock formations intended to hold it permanently.

Tenaska describes CO2 as odorless, colorless and incombustible, and says it can be safely transported by pipeline to wells drilled into geologically secure storage zones. The company says safety is a top priority and that its facilities comply with applicable state and federal regulations.

The Bucks area is no stranger to large energy infrastructure. Alabama Power’s James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant, one of the state’s major power stations, sits along the Mobile River near Bucks, and the surrounding area has long been home to industrial and utility operations.

For residents like Chestang, however, the rural character of their own neighborhood is the concern.

Traffic and Rural Roads a Concern on Henry Davis and Weaver Roads

Residents along Henry Davis and Weaver roads say the announcement came as a surprise and has them wondering how construction and operations would affect their daily lives.

Chestang said the news was shocking because Henry Davis and Weaver roads are residential and rural, and the project will bring significant traffic, which he expects will cause many issues.

Questions about truck traffic, the exact footprint of the facilities and possible effects on wildlife, plants and the local environment are among the issues neighbors say they hope to have addressed.

Permits Still Required Before Construction

Tenaska says the Longleaf Energy Hub cannot move forward until it receives multiple local, state and federal permits, including air and water permits.

According to the company’s project website, the review process would include:

• Air and water permits for the power plant from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs’ Office of Water Resources.
• A Class VI permit from the EPA for the carbon dioxide injection wells. Tenaska describes it as the agency’s most stringent well permit, and says the EPA conducts a detailed technical and environmental review, first issuing a permit to construct and later a permit to operate once the project demonstrates it is sound.
• Oversight from the State Oil and Gas Board of Alabama, which Tenaska says governs the siting, operation, testing and long-term maintenance of the wells.
• Other permits covering wildlife, stormwater and pipeline routing.

Permitting processes for projects of this kind typically include opportunities for public notice and comment at various stages, which is one way residents can weigh in. Neighbors who want to follow the process can watch for notices from the agencies involved.

Informational Meeting Set for Nov. 19 in Turnerville

Residents who want to hear directly from the company and ask questions can attend Tenaska’s informational meeting:

• When: Thursday, Nov. 19, at 5 p.m.
• Where: Turnerville Volunteer Fire Department building
• RSVP: Required. Contact Jessica James at [email protected] by Friday, Nov. 13.

Chestang said residents are looking for plain-language explanations of what the project would bring to their community. The Nov. 19 session may offer the first opportunity for many neighbors to put those questions to the company in person.