A coal-fired power plant in Salem slated to close in 2014 could be purchased by a New Jersey firm and converted into a natural gas plant, according to news reports.

Footprint Power even has already filed for a permit to connect the Salem plant to the regional power grid by 2016.

The plant’s current owner, Virginia-based Dominion, announced last year that it is closing the plant in June of 2014. According to reports, the company has already briefed its workers on the development of negotiations with Footprint.

A recently completed reuse study for the plant suggested a mix of uses, natural gas being one of them. But the 62-acre site offers ample space for more development, including industrial, commercial and other types of waterfront activities.

The plant abuts a densely populated residential area that includes the historic House of the Seven Gables, made famous in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel of the same name, and only narrow roads now lead to the site. So the thought of even more cars and pedestrian activity is daunting to city leaders, Salem Mayor Kimberly Driscoll told Banker & Tradesman last year.

"High densities have high impacts that we might not be able to accommodate in that neighborhood, like a hotel or business park," Driscoll said.

However, the city is eager to activate the site once the plant is decommissioned – within reason.