Barbadoes Island
Montgomery County · 1 Haws Ave, King of Prussia, PA 19406
A natural gas plant that retired in 1990 with 248.1 MW of capacity, on a 65.35-acre parcel in Montgomery County. The PATER study evaluates it for new generation.
The site by the numbers
Data problem in the report
All ten distances in Table 8 (page 37) repeat Table 7 for Armstrong Power Station (page 36), and several contradict the Barbadoes narrative printed above the table.
The distance table below is shown exactly as published, with the duplicated values marked. The narrative description above the table gives different figures.
What the report says about this site
“Located at 1 Haws Ave, King of Prussia, PA 19406 (coordinates 40°06'48.5"N 75°21'18.8"W), this 65.4-acre former natural gas plant situated on the Barbadoes Island in the Schuylkill River retired in 1990 and has a retired capacity of 248.1 MW (see Figure 19 and Table 8). There appears to be two substations on the plot, but otherwise the land is cleared and free to be developed. The site has been decommissioned, and its remediation status is unknown. It is zoned for industrial use and has 18.9 acres of adjacent available land rated as slightly rugged. The site is not classified as a presumptive brownfield; however, confirmed groundwater contamination has been reported. FEMA designates the site as having a very low natural hazard risk but sitting within the floodway. The parcel and nearby parcels are not located within or adjacent to a documented coal mining area and are, therefore, considered to have minimal mine subsidence potential. The site has immediate access to major roads, the rail network, and the river. The site has immediate access to transmission lines, a substation, a natural gas pipeline, and broadband installed. The nearest generating station is ~14 miles away. The site is ~50 miles from the Marcellus shale formation. The nearest wastewater treatment plant is ~1 mile away, and the nearest brownfield is adjacent to the site. There are ~4,236,300 people within 30 miles of the site.”
PATER Part A report, section 4.3, page 37
What this site means for our stretch of the river
Barbadoes Island sits in the Schuylkill about 2.7 miles in a straight line from 900 Conshohocken Road. The report lists a 65.35-acre parcel with 18.88 adjacent acres, zoned industrial, in a FEMA floodway, with confirmed groundwater contamination.
EPA’s five-year reviews of the nearby Tyson’s Dump Superfund site in Upper Merion describe contamination that reached beneath the island. From the August 2024 review:
“DNAPL was observed in groundwater wells on the south side of the Schuylkill River and in wells on Barbadoes Island, indicating that the contaminants had traveled from the property beneath the Schuylkill River.”EPA Region 3, Sixth Five-Year Review, Tyson’s Dump Superfund Site, August 2024
The selected remedy includes institutional controls to “restrict groundwater use on Barbadoes Island,” and groundwater treatment and monitoring continue. EPA rated the remedy “Short-term Protective” in that review, and said that for the remedy to be protective in the long term, “1,4-dioxane and PFAS need to [be] sampled for in groundwater to evaluate if they are present at the Site.” The same review says the island “is currently used for storage of building supplies and is owned by Barbadoes 83, LLC.”
Site attributes
- Report name
- Barbadoes
- Address
- 1 Haws Ave, King of Prussia, PA 19406
- Coordinates
- 40°06'48.5"N 75°21'18.8"W
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Zoning
- Industrial
- Ruggedness
- 2 = Slightly rugged
- Brownfield designation
- Not Presumptive
- On-site contamination
- TBD
- Groundwater contamination
- Confirmed
- FEMA natural hazards risk
- Very low
- FEMA flood hazard
- Floodway
- Population within 30 miles
- About 4,236,300 (report estimate)
- PJM transmission zone
- PECO
- Evaluated for
- New generation
Distance to infrastructure
| Distance to | Miles |
|---|---|
| Major road | 4.39 |
| Rail network | 0.07 |
| Major river | 0.33 |
| Transmission line | 0.00 |
| Substation | 0.07 |
| Natural gas pipeline | 3.01 |
| Broadband | 4.51 |
| Marcellus Shale formation | 0.00 |
| Wastewater treatment facility | 6.11 |
| Brownfield site | 14.81 |
The report’s acreage-based capacity estimates
| Technology | Parcel (65 acres) | Extended (84 acres) |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 327 | 421 |
| Conventional nuclear | 109 | 140 |
| Battery storage | 934 | 1,203 |
| Solar | 9 | 12 |
The report places sites in the PECO transmission zone in its generation category, because projected load growth there exceeds expected generation additions (pages 76 and 77).
Where this site stands
- Current status
- Part A candidate. Part B will narrow the 21 sites to 5 to 7 priorities.
- Next step
- Part B will rank the sites and validate the top 5 to 7 through site visits (page 103).
- Public comment
- Written comments on Part A are accepted under PUC Docket No. M-2026-3059601 through October 14, 2026.
- Review meetings
- The report says PATER Study Review Meetings are planned for October and February (page 103).
All 21 candidate sites
- Barbadoes Island2.7 mi
- Venice Island (JSC)5.7 mi
- Cromby12.1 mi
- Martins Creek Harwood69.5 mi
- West Shore86.3 mi
- Jenkins86.6 mi
- Stanton92.5 mi
- Lock Haven133.6 mi
- Milesburg142.6 mi
- Williamsburg154.6 mi
- Cambria Cogeneration180.4 mi
- Armstrong Power Station225.6 mi
- Piney Creek229.0 mi
- Elrama Power Plant243.1 mi
- Hatfield's Ferry244.6 mi
- Mitchell Power Station245.8 mi
- F R Phillips260.8 mi
- Wayne264.5 mi
- AES Beaver Valley268.1 mi
- North East Cogeneration277.1 mi
- Erie Mill284.4 mi
Our view on the study
Pennsylvania is studying two Schuylkill power sites. We think residents deserve corrected data, real environmental analysis and a straight answer on costs before the list gets shorter.
Read our view →Take action
File a comment by October 14, watch the October 7 review meeting, and come to the Zoning Hearing Board on Thursday, October 15 at 7:00 p.m.
Ways to help →