PATER site tracker
Part A candidateSchuylkill River site

Cromby

Chester County · 100 Cromby Rd, Phoenixville, PA 19460

A coal plant that retired in 2011 with 420.2 MW of capacity, on a 56.75-acre parcel in Chester County. The PATER study evaluates it for new generation.

PECO zoneEvaluated for new generationBituminous CoalRetired 2011
At a glance

The site by the numbers

Retired capacity420.2 MW
Retired in2011
Parcel56.75 acres
Adjacent land53.48 acres
Within 30 miles4.40 million
From 900 Conshohocken Rd12.1 miles
Section 4.5

What the report says about this site

“Located at 100 Cromby Rd, Phoenixville, PA 19460 (coordinates 40°09'07.5"N 75°31'47.5"W), this 56.8-acre former coal plant sitting on the west bank of the Schuylkill River retired in 2011 and has a retired capacity of 420.2 MW (see Figure 21 and Table 10). Many of the plant’s buildings have been demolished. The site has been decommissioned, and remediation is in progress. It is zoned for utility use and 53.5 acres of adjacent available land rated as moderately rugged. The site is treated as a presumptive brownfield, with soil and groundwater contamination TBD. FEMA designates the site as having a very low natural hazard risk but sitting in a 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 the river and the rail system, and major freeways are ~1 mile away. Transmission lines, a substation, and a natural gas pipeline are all adjacent to the site. The nearest installed broadband is ~8 miles away. The closest generator is ~6 miles away. The site is ~42 miles from the Marcellus shale formation. The nearest wastewater treatment plant is ~1.5 miles away, and the nearest brownfield is ~2 miles away. There are ~4,399,235 people within 30 miles of the plant.”

PATER Part A report, section 4.5, page 39
Near us

What this site means for our stretch of the river

Cromby sits on the west bank of the Schuylkill near Phoenixville, about 12.1 miles in a straight line from 900 Conshohocken Road. The report lists a 56.75-acre parcel with 53.48 adjacent acres, zoned for utility use, in a FEMA floodway, with remediation in progress and soil and groundwater contamination still to be determined.

The report estimates about 4.4 million people within 30 miles of Cromby, the largest total among the 21 candidates. Its acreage-based estimate of 284 MW of gas generation, or 551 MW with adjacent land, comes from parcel size and a generic land-use factor, before floodway limits, existing infrastructure or cleanup controls are considered.

Read our view on the PATER study

Table 10

Site attributes

Report name
Cromby Generating Station
Address
100 Cromby Rd, Phoenixville, PA 19460
Coordinates
40°09'07.5"N 75°31'47.5"W
Fuel
Bituminous Coal
Zoning
Utility
Ruggedness
4 = Moderately rugged
Brownfield designation
Presumptive
On-site contamination
TBD
Groundwater contamination
TBD
FEMA natural hazards risk
Very low
FEMA flood hazard
Floodway
Population within 30 miles
About 4,399,235 (report estimate)
PJM transmission zone
PECO
Evaluated for
New generation
Table 10

Distance to infrastructure

Approximate distance in miles, as published in Table 10 (page 39). The report says distances are measured from a point on the site and “all distance measurements must be considered general.”
Distance toMiles
Major road1.09
Rail network0.16
Major river0.49
Transmission line0.00
Substation0.10
Natural gas pipeline0.15
Broadband7.62
Marcellus Shale formation41.94
Wastewater treatment facility1.51
Brownfield site1.89
Table 28

The report’s acreage-based capacity estimates

Installed capacity potential in megawatts, from Table 28 (pages 78 and 79). The report calls these estimates “approximate as they are based on parcel acreage (which may differ from developable land acreage) and single land use intensity values per technology.” The gas figure is the acreage divided by 0.2 acres per megawatt (Table 27). Extended acreage adds adjacent parcels with the same owner.
TechnologyParcel (57 acres)Extended (110 acres)
Natural gas284551
Conventional nuclear95184
Battery storage8111,575
Solar816

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).

Status

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

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 →