Tonawanda’s Huntley Plant, once a generator of electricity that was shut down nearly a decade ago, remains in limbo. Despite town leaders hoping for a victory with eminent domain, NRG Energy Inc. is continuing litigation.

In that court battle at the moment, there are no winners.

Here in Chautauqua County, it is a different story. Earlier this month, NRG announced the sale of its Dunkirk plant to Genover — a company that specializes in redeveloping retired industrial sites.

“We work with utilities planning generation retirements, sponsors evaluating industrial acquisitions, public entities structuring infrastructure mandates, and capital partners seeking platform exposure to the energy transition,” Genover maintains on its website. “In every engagement, our commitment is the same: rigorous diligence, disciplined execution, and outcomes that compound over time.”

Readers appear optimistic regarding the new ownership. In the poll “Are you pleased the power plant site in Dunkirk has been sold by NRG?” at www.observertoday.com, 72% said yes while 28% said “no.”

What remains uncertain are the future plans for the site. A data center is potentially high on the list in terms of a reuse and repurposing study for the facility that was done in 2021 for the city of Dunkirk and Chautauqua County.

Public sentiment on that, however, seems very cool when considering the opposition being seen in Portland and Brocton. Genover has yet to make a public statement regarding its purchase — or its plans.

This week’s poll question: Even though not required, should the Dunkirk mayor attend Common Council meetings?