A project to transform the former Titus Generating Station property is underway, with the site’s new owners recently opening a rail transload terminal on the site.
The former coal generating power plant in Cumru Township was decommissioned in 2014 after owners struggled to accommodate increasingly rigorous environmental regulations.
Titus Clean Industries LLC, formerly called ReFined Plastics LLC of King of Prussia, bought the property on Poplar Neck Road in 2022 with the intent of transforming the site into a waste-to-steam facility that would convert plastic waste into steam to power a generator.
“For the past six or seven years, we’ve been developing this project,” Joseph D’Ascenzo, president and chief technology officer of Titus Clean Industries, told the Reading Eagle. “The site is a legacy asset to the Reading area. We’re revitalizing life into that area.”
Titus Clean Industries is also working with several companies on plans to incorporate other forms of clean energy production, D’Ascenzo said.
“We’re also going to have some other technologies on the site, such as anaerobic digestion, some solar facilities,” he said. “We’ve had discussions with a company that wants to build another power plant on the property, all clean energy related.”
New rail terminal
Rail operations at the site officially reopened in December, D’Ascenzo said, with an agreement in place between Titus Clean Industries and Norfolk Southern that enables shipping and receiving freight.
The station previously received coal via rail from Norfolk Southern, but shipments stopped when the coal plant was decommissioned.
D’Ascenzo said the rail project involves repairing and deploying three rail cars, as well as other upgrades.
“We are dedicated to upgrading existing rail lines and adding new tracks to ensure immediate access to markets and supply chain partners across the Northeast, particularly benefiting small and medium-sized enterprises,” D’Ascenzo said in a release.
He said the terminal would be open for use by local businesses looking to ship goods via rail.
D’Ascenzo noted that Titus’ rail project has garnered support from the Department of Transportation’s Rail Freight Assistance Program, which provides funding for rail projects that enhance freight mobility and create or sustain jobs.
Titus’ vision for the site involves converting the property into a hub for clean energy, industry and trade with the goal of promoting a circular economy and creating Pennsylvania’s first net-zero carbon emissions community.
The company has already welcomed interest from several European corporations eager to explore what Pennsylvania and Titus Station can offer, D’Ascenzo noted.
“We are poised to attract billions of dollars in investment, cultivating a distinctive community that creates opportunities for businesses to engage with neighbors and access national and international markets while generating substantial job prospects for residents of Reading and its surrounding communities,” D’Ascenzo said in the release.
There are no final plans yet, D’Ascenzo said, but the process is continuing.
D’Ascenzo noted that Titus has had a preliminary review of its proposed waste-to-steam facility before the Cumru commissioners and is working through related applications with the U.S. Department of Energy.
He said Titus is still working with potential tenants to develop a comprehensive plan for other uses of the site, including an anaerobic digester and solar facilities.