The construction of a massive coal-fired power plant has brought more than 1,300 workers to far southwest Virginia. They are helping build the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center in St. Paul. The 585-megawatt plant is scheduled to be operational in 2012. Greg Edwards of Dominion Virginia Power said construction is beyond the halfway mark. A 20-story boiler building already rises from the site. Of the crew involved in the building of the $1.8 billion power plant, Edwards said about one-third are from Wise and Russell counties. A coalition of environmental groups has been fighting to block the power plant for years, arguing that emissions would harm air and water quality and contribute to global warming.