Economic Benefit / Community

Economic Benefits

The Caithness Moxie Freedom Generating Station broke ground in December 2015, and the facility transitioned to commercial operation in September 2018. During construction, the project provided an average of 250 jobs and up to 650 jobs at peak times.

Now that the plant is in commercial operation, there will be at least 25 permanent jobs supporting the facility. Additionally, during planned outages for scheduled maintenance, hundreds of contractors will be mobilized to complete the required work.

Along with the employment and direct payroll benefits, the operation of the plant provides additional benefits to the community. The annual maintenance budget for the plant is about $20 million, with half of that money being spent locally.

The plant provides a significant contribution to the local tax base, including taxes for schools.

Caithness Energy is committed to being a good neighbor and corporate citizen of the communities in which we do business. Building this plant in Salem Township benefits the community by using local expertise in construction and the gas market, and it will help keep local resources local.

Community Partnership

The Caithness Moxie Freedom Generating Station is not only creating jobs and generating cleaner and more efficient electricity; it has demonstrated its commitment to community through becoming a long-term partner of the volunteer fire company, local leaders and the people of Luzerne County.

The Freedom team, composed of Caithness Energy, Moxie Energy and Gemma Power Systems, has supported several public improvement projects in Salem Township and the surrounding area during construction. In total, Freedom’s support of completed projects and future commitments surpasses $800,000.

We presented $35,000 in donations to the Salem Township Volunteer Fire Co. from 2016 through 2018. Starting in 2019, the donation will be $20,500, with an additional $500 added each year for 19 years. This regular funding stream has allowed the fire company to purchase a new fire apparatus to serve the township and the surrounding municipalities for many years to come.

In 2015, Freedom donated $300,000 to support a major renovation of the Ber-Vaughn Swimming Pool in Berwick. Gemma Power Systems has donated $28,000 to construct two pavilions at the township park, and Freedom has also committed to additional updates at the park.

Freedom partnered with PennDOT to complete reconstruction of Mingle Inn Road from State Route 11 to a shared access road at the western end of the project site.