Alliance News and Events
APPA presses administration for more time on Utility MACT rule
November 18, 2011
Providing sufficient time to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed "EGU MACT" rule "in order to maintain an adequate and reliable supply of electricity is APPA’s top priority," APPA President and CEO Mark Crisson told Obama administration officials. The sheer scale of efforts to comply with the rule regulating fossil plant emissions of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants "will be enormous," Crisson said in a Nov. 16 letter to Office of Management and Budget Natural Resources and Environment Branch Chief Dominic Mancini and other administration officials.
The letter was a follow-up to a Nov. 3 meeting between APPA staff and officials from OMB and other agencies to discuss the proposed rule.
While the proposed rule would allow 48 months for compliance, a survey of APPA members found 99% of public power’s coal-fired plants would need 77 months "to conduct system planning, convene public meetings, obtain financing, construct, install and calibrate for use all the required control technologies," Crisson said in the letter.
November 18, 2011
Another Missouri City Faces Expensive Sewer Upgrades
September 2, 2011
Another Missouri city facing expensive sewer upgrades
The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, as part of a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, agreed to make $4.7 billion in improvements. Could the city of Hannibal be forced to make a major investment in its sewer system? The Hannibal Board of Public Works doesn't want to find out.
By DANNY HENLEY
Hannibal Courier-Post
Posted Aug 19, 2011
Hannibal, MO —
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) had agreed to make extensive improvements to its sewer systems and treatment plants, at an estimated cost of $4.7 billion over 23 years. The improvements are intended to eliminate illegal overflows of untreated raw sewage, including basement backups, and to reduce pollution levels in urban rivers and streams.
While MSD’s sewer system, which is the fourth largest in the United States, is significantly larger than Hannibal’s there is a big lesson to be learned from the extensive improvements it will be making over the next two-plus decades, according to Bob Stevenson, general manager of the Hannibal Board of Public Works.
“This is what I’ve been trying to preach to anybody that will listen, that we have to do everything we can to avoid getting in the same mess that St. Louis is in along with other metropolitan areas around the country that are dealing with some of these very expensive issues, judgments and lawsuits that the EPA has brought against these different entities,” he said. “It’s just staggering. I don’t know how a town that gets caught up in one of those things survives financially.”
Stevenson has read that the sewer improvements will push the average residential sewer bill of a MSD customer to around $80 a month.
“That’s starting to look a lot like the electric bill,” he said.
When a community is dealing with the EPA, it rarely has little recourse but to comply, according to Stevenson.
“When the EPA takes you to court and the judge tells you you’ve got to do it, can you resist? Can you thumb your nose at the judge? I don’t know what the punishments are. I suppose somebody is eventually going to go to jail if they refuse to comply with a court order,” he said.
The city of Hannibal’s sewer system has been in the state of Missouri’s cross hairs in recent years. In 2010, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) hit the BPW with a fine of $16,000 for violations of the Clean Water Law during three sanitary sewer overflows. It was announced in May that the penalty had been reduced to $8,000. Shortly after the settlement was announced the city received from the DNR a sewer maintenance manual outlining its expectations regarding Hannibal’s future sewer system upkeep.
In another sewer-related issue, the BPW was told earlier this year to cease its practice of relieving sewer backups when the Mississippi is flooding by discharging the sewage into a pond behind the Mark Twain Hotel and then pumping the untreated sewage into the river. In May, Stevenson said he “cannot conceive of any kind of temporary or permanent solution that will not cost hundreds of thousands of dollars ...”
$430,000 Civil Penalty for Construction Stormwater Violations
September 1, 2011
Builder of The Links of Columbia, Mo., to Pay $430,000 Civil Penalty for Construction Stormwater Violations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Kansas City, Kan., Aug. 31, 2011) - Lindsey Construction Company, Inc., of Fayetteville, Ark., and one of its associated limited partnerships have agreed to pay a $430,000 civil penalty to the United States to settle a series of construction stormwater violations that occurred during development of The Links of Columbia, a nine-hole golf course and 64-building apartment project in Columbia, Mo.
Through a stipulation of settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and EPA Region 7, filed today in U.S. District Court in Jefferson City, Mo., Lindsey Construction and The Links at Columbia, LP, agree to pay the civil penalty for violations of the federal Clean Water Act and terms of a construction stormwater permit issued by the State of Missouri.
EPA Region 7 inspected the construction site in May 2007 and noted failures to implement and maintain practices to minimize runoff, failures to follow a stormwater pollution prevention plan, failure to comply with water quality standards, and failures to conduct site inspections. EPA determined that the construction site lacked proper erosion controls, leading to accumulation of silt and sediment in Hominy Branch, a tributary of Hinkson Creek.
Previous inspections by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) in July 2006 and April 2007 also found the defendants were not complying with stormwater management requirements, resulting in a letter of warning and a notice of violation issued by MDNR.
EPA issued a separate administrative compliance order to the defendants in August 2007, directing the companies to adhere to the requirements of the construction stormwater permit and take immediate actions to reduce runoff at the construction site.
Stormwater runoff from construction sites can be a significant environmental concern. Construction activity tends to increase soil erosion and runoff, which can choke streams and lakes with sediment. Such runoff, which may contain high levels of pollutants, results in increased turbidity and decreased oxygen in streams, killing fish, destroying spawning beds and suffocating fish eggs. Sediment-laden runoff also blocks light and reduces the growth of beneficial water grasses.
The settlement is subject to a 30-day public comment period and court approval before it becomes final.
Contact Information: Chris Whitley, 913-551-7394, whitley.christopher@epa.gov
South Daytona, FL Decides to Go Municipal
August 29, 2011
City Buys Private Utility's Distribution System
Taking advantage of an unusual buyout clause in its franchise contract with investor-owned Florida Power and Light Co., the city of South Daytona has decided it wants to get into the utility business. The South Daytona City Council voted 4-1 in July to form a municipal utility and buy the private utility's poles, wires and substations for $15.5 million -- the price set by a court in May.
"It is time for FPL to honor its contractual obligations and facilitate the orderly transfer of its assets," said Joseph Yarbrough, South Daytona's city manager, in an Aug. 15 opinion piece in the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
"I know we can beat the service of FPL," Mayor George Locke said earlier this summer. Having greater control over the electric system "is in the best interests of the community," he said.
South Daytona's long-term franchise agreement with FPL ended in June 2008, and city leaders were in the process of negotiating a new franchise with the investor-owned utility when they ran into a snag. FPL insisted that any new franchise agreement remove the language that gave the city the option to buy the local distribution system at "the existing cost of replacement" of the system minus depreciation on that equipment up to the date of the sale.
City Manager Yarbrough opposed the removal of the buyout option language, saying the city would be giving up a very valuable option. "Once it's gone, it's gone," he warned.
The city began to investigate the buyout option, and, when it found itself at odds with FPL over the purchase price, went to court over the issue. In May, Judge William Parsons of Florida's Seventh Judicial Court ruled that if South Daytona decided to form a municipal electric utility, it should pay FPL $15.5 million for the utility's distribution system. The judge also ruled that FPL would not be entitled to any stranded costs -- a ruling that the private utility said it would take up with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
South Daytona "has spent five years attempting to preserve its franchise language and, when that failed, determining the value of exercising its option to purchase the utility," City Manager Yarbrough wrote in the Aug. 15 opinion piece. "FPL has argued they are entitled to $41.7 million for the system -- including stranded costs. The council has voted to exercise the city's purchase option based upon the court's findings at a cost of $15.5 million. The City Council has always promised to keep the electrical bills the same or lower than FPL's, while providing better customer service and keeping the profits here at home."
If South Daytona succeeds in creating a city-owned electric utility, it will be the first to do so since 2005, when the city of Winter Park broke away from Progress Energy Florida to form a municipal utility. — JEANNINE ANDERSON, APPA
2011 MPUA Conference - Agenda for the 'Adventure' Now Available
August 3, 2011
The 2011 MPUA Conference 'Adventure' begins in Branson on Wednesday, September 28, and continues through Friday, September 30. Leaders of municipal utilities from around the state of Missouri will gather to learn how to better address local challenges by discovering how other communities are solving those dilemmas.
Click HERE for the detailed agenda.
Click HERE for registration details.
Fulton Council Warned of Expensive New Sewer, Water Rules
July 14, 2011
Fulton Mayor LeRoy Benton and members of the Fulton City Council have learned that the city faces the prospect of greater federal and state regulations that can lead to increased sewer and water bills in Fulton’s future.
During an informal work session prior to Tuesday’s regular city council meeting, Floyd Gilzow, director of member relations and public affairs for the Missouri Public Utility Alliance, briefed city leaders on current and future state and federal regulations on operating water and sewage systems.
Benton noted the city will need to make substantial investments in the future on operation of its sewage treatment plant. He said the city is in negotiations with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources on timelines for improvements that must be met.
Kirkwood Electric Ranks Among Nation's Top Public Providers
May 1, 2011
A prestigious award from the American Public Power Association
highlights dynamic changes at Kirkwood Electric
By: Owen Skoler | | April 13, 2011
Reprinted by permission from Kirkwood-Webster Groves Patch
The American Public Power Association (APPA) recently recognized Kirkwood Electric as a Reliable Public Power Provider, an honor bestowed to only 82 of the more than 2,000 public power utilities nationwide.
The APPA judged public power utilities in four key disciplines: Reliability, safety, workforce development and system improvement.
“We got a bunch of great workers who are skilled and experienced,” said Mark Petty, director of Kirkwood’s Electric Department. “They know their network and know their neighborhoods and have a great relationship with customers. They have a great work ethic when they get out there.”
REGIONAL ENERGY CENTER ADDS TO LOCAL BUSINESS CLIMATE
April 29, 2011
Natural gas generation project initiated in Fredericktown, Missouri
April 29, 2011 – Fredericktown, Missouri] Today, state and city leaders broke ground on a regional energy center in Fredericktown, Missouri. The Fredericktown Energy Center will serve the cities of Fredericktown, Farmington, Jackson and 32 other communities throughout Missouri with electric power.
The energy plant development is a partnership between the Missouri Public Energy Pool (MoPEP), the City of Fredericktown, and the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission (MJMEUC). All had representatives in attendance at the groundbreaking of the new facility. Officials from the Missouri Department of Economic Development were also in attendance.
Gov Nixon Proclaims April "Missouri Dig Safely Month"
April 4, 2011
In order to raise citizen awareness, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon proclaimed April “Dig Safely Month” in the state of Missouri.
Business and telecommunications leaders, including MPUA Manager of Member Services, Ewell Lawson attended the ceremony in the Governor's office on March 15. Praising the work already done by the Missouri One-Call System, Governor Nixon stressed the need to continue protecting the state’s underground telecommunications and utility infrastructure.
Missouri law requires that a locate request be placed before beginning any excavation (homeowners, that means trees, shrubs, and flowers!).
For information visit the Mo1Call website.
Those in the picture from left to right are Front row: Ed Twehous, Jack Aterberry, Tom Burmeister,
Gary Owsley, Terry Hobbs, Governor Nixion, Mark Bullock, Rick Telthorst, Chris Weber, Mary Scruggs.
Back Row:Chuck Simino, Ron Peterson, Ewell Lawson, Berry Hart, Bob Leonburger, Craig Hoeferlion,
John Lansford, Nicole Bradley, Flint Walton, Dale Johansen, Derek Leffert.
Gas Operators Training Scheduled for April
April 4, 2011
The Municipal Gas Commission of Missouri (MGCM) is planning several opportunities for gas operators to benefit from training sessions in the Spring and Fall. Coming up in April, Tom Gobin, President of Gas Products Sales, Inc., will review gas laws and provide training on pressure regulators using cut aways. These sessions will take place from 9:00 to 12:00 in Paris, MO on April 26th and St. James, MO on April 28th.
Each session will cover the same topics and is free to attend for MGCM members, but open to everyone. Click here for more infromation.
Missouri DNR Announces $10 Million in Low Interest Loans for Drinking Water
March 16, 2011
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, March. 15, 2011 – The Missouri Department of Natural Resources today announced that it is offering low-interest loans to Missouri drinking water and wastewater facilities for energy efficiency projects under the Energize Missouri Water– Water and Wastewater Energy Loan Program.
The department anticipates awarding up to $10 million in financing with a 3 percent APR for eligible projects. The loan program will provide $500,000 to $1.5 million in funding for projects to update and improve facilities with measures that will result in reduced energy costs and energy savings. Examples of eligible projects include variable frequency drives, motors and pumps, lighting upgrades, high efficiency fans and heating ventilation and air conditioning.
“There are many opportunities for energy savings at water treatment facilities,” said Sara Parker Pauley, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. “Municipal water supply and wastewater treatment systems are among the most energy-intensive facilities operated by local governments. The projects implemented as a result of these loans will help local governments and water processors achieve energy savings and follows Gov. Nixon’s initiatives to use green innovative technology to improve the environment, help create jobs and stimulate Missouri’s economy.”
Energize Missouri Water is accepting project applications for the Water and Wastewater Energy Loan Program through a competitive application process. Applications are available on the department’s website at dnr.mo.gov/transform/energizemissouriwater.htm.
All applications must be submitted to the department by May 31, 2011. For more information about the program call 573-751-7466 or e-mail energyloan@dnr.mo.gov.
The department is committed to working closely with businesses, agricultural entities, industries and communities to assist with funding efforts that support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects and provide financial savings.
The department has made Energize Missouri Water loans available through funding received from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The department is administering more than $200 million in Recovery Act funding to support Energize Missouri projects to create jobs and improve energy efficiencies and renewable energy for Missouri.
WAYNESVILLE PROPOSES TO REPLACE OWENSVILLE IN MOPEP
March 11, 2011
[March 10, 2011 – Columbia, MO] At today’s meeting of the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission (MJMEUC) representatives of Owensville and Waynesville confirmed that their municipalities have agreed in principle that Waynesville will take Owensville’s place in the Missouri Public Energy Pool (MoPEP). The formal transfer agreement, which is yet to be finalized, is subject to final approval by the boards in both cities and by the MJMEUC Board of Directors and its MoPEP Committee. The boards in both municipalities have already approved the agreement in principle. MJMEUC General Manager Duncan Kincheloe said terms for the transfer described by Owensville leaders would lead him to recommend MJMEUC approval if a review of Waynesville’s utility system indicates it is suitable for MoPEP participation.
Kincheloe said that he expects to find that Waynesville is a good candidate for MoPEP participation based on his familiarity with Waynesville and its natural gas utility, which participates in MJMEUC’s “sister agency” the Municipal Gas Commission of Missouri. He said that Waynesville is well managed, has shown stronger growth than Owensville, and has an electric demand almost twice the size of Owensville’s. Financial obligations of MJMEUC require that rating agencies be able to confirm that the transfer will not impair MJMEUC credit.
Owensville’s municipal finance conditions and declining population have led the city to propose sale of its electric utility assets. City leaders have discussed the issue with MJMEUC committees in recent years, but had not proposed specific terms for transferring its MoPEP status to the board until this week. The transfer would enable Owensville to avoid a five year termination process.
Kincheloe said he believes Owensville’s proposal provides the basis for assuring that other MoPEP participants are protected from costs associated with changes in power delivery and a limited gap between the dates of Owensville’s termination and supply to Waynesville. Owensville proposes to transfer to MoPEP power generation equipment the city has valued at $600,000, gives MoPEP a right to purchase two other city generators, and make a cash payment of $100,000. Owensville would also continue to purchase electricity from MJMEUC on a short term basis.
Waynesville’s electric utility is currently supplied by Sho-Me Electric Power Cooperative, which has given notice to terminate its contract by March 2013.
MoPEP is a group of municipal electric utilities that purchase power collectively through their participation in the Municipal Electric Utility Commission, a non-profit entity established under Missouri’s constitution and statutes more than thirty years ago. The MoPEP group began operations in 2000 and has grown from 19 municipalities to 35 since that time.
In response to the Owensville/Waynesville announcement, the MoPEP Committee passed the following motion today:
“The MoPEP Committee welcomes the application of the City of Waynesville to participate in the MoPEP power pool. The staff is directed to complete a prompt review enabling the Committee to act on the application as soon as Waynesville’s City Council authorizes Mayor Hammock to sign the MoPEP participation agreement and an assignment from Owensville. The MoPEP Committee also congratulates Mayor Somerville and the City of Owensville on submitting a long-expected proposal intended to hold other municipalities harmless while allowing Owensville to exit the pool more quickly than provided under the regular five year termination procedure. The staff is directed to arrange necessary committee meetings to evaluate Owensville’s proposal and its expected agreement with Waynesville within three weeks of receiving the cities’ signed agreement. Upon receipt of assurance from Owensville that the City will pay all costs required for review by the rating agencies, the staff is further directed to proceed immediately to secure necessary rating agency letters assuring that the proposed Owensville/Waynesville transfer will not impair MJMEUC credit ratings.”
After the resolution passed, Chad Davis, Director of Utilities for the City of Trenton and chairman of the MoPEP committee indicated that the MoPEP cities are committed to considering this action in a timely but deliberate manner. “It is my desire that this proposal will provide a win for Owensville, a win for Waynesville, and, ultimately, a win for the participating cities of MoPEP by keeping them whole.”
For additional information contact:
Missouri Public Utility Alliance:
Duncan Kincheloe, CEO and General Manager – 573-445-3279
Department of Natural Resources Awarded $216,133 Grant to Study Older Rural Landfills
February 22, 2011
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has been awarded a one-year, $216,133 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assess the condition of some of Missouri’s older closed rural landfills.
The goal of the project is to assess the condition of some of the state’s older closed rural landfills that operated under less stringent standards than modern landfills are required to meet. Also, many of the state’s early landfills did not have sufficient resources to close properly. The landfill assessments began in November and will continue into early summer 2011.
Following these landfill assessments, the department will provide technical assistance and training to counties, municipalities and individuals throughout the state who own these disposal areas. This guidance and training will address landfill maintenance, upkeep activities, buying and selling properties containing landfills and future use of the landfills to ensure surrounding water resources are protected.
The grant, entitled the Missouri Closed Landfill Technical Assistance Project and funded through USDA’s Rural Development Utilities Program, will be managed by the department’s Solid Waste Management Program.
Missouri's Solid Waste Management Law governs the operation and care of landfills in the state and exists to protect public and environmental health. The department is responsible for enforcing this law and its regulations.
For more information, contact the department’s Solid Waste Management Program at 573-751-5401 or call toll-free at 800-361-4827.
Fees for Missouri Water Enforcement to Expire
January 4, 2011
December 30, 2010 - www.kansascity.com
ST. LOUIS | Fees paid by thousands of Missouri businesses to help fund state water regulation are expiring Friday, creating fears of delays and red tape.
The fees provide more than one-quarter of the funding for Missouri's water enforcement program and are paid by commercial developers, home builders, utilities, manufacturers and livestock producers for permission to discharge wastewater or divert storm water into streams and lakes.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources earlier this year sought to have the fees renewed, but the Republican-led Senate refused. Officials think there is enough money to continue state water enforcement for several months. Missouri also is exploring options such as allowing the federal Environmental Protection Agency to handle water enforcement.
Read More...
MPUA discusses nuclear energy in Missouri with Bill Peterson - KRES 104.7 FM and KWIX 1230 AM (Central Missouri Regional Radio - Moberly)
December 23, 2010
If Missouri is to attract new businesses and succeed economically in the years ahead, the state must meet the future need for new clean and reliable baseload power at an affordable cost. That’s why Missouri’s electric providers are moving forward to take the first measured step in preserving nuclear power as one of those options.
MPUA’s Ewell Lawson discusses industry efforts to preserve nuclear energy as an option for Missouri’s energy future. To listen to the interview, click here.
Interview aired: December 18, 2010
Opening of Region's Newest Power Plants Expected to Stabilize Municipal Electric Rates
December 16, 2010
Reprinted by permission from the Memphis Democrat
While an apple a day may keep the doctor away, Memphis area residents are hoping a plum will help keep the electric rate increases at bay. It's not the fruit variety, but Plum Point Generating Station, in which utility customers are placing their hopes.
Members of the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission (MJMEUC) as well as the Missouri Public Energy Pool #1 (MoPEP) are involved with the project.
The city of Memphis is one of the 35 members of MoPEP, which has contracted to purchase 50 MW of capacity from the plant annually, or approximately 17% of the group's over-all use. MJMEUC owns a 22% share of Plum Point, with members North Little Rock, Osceola and Piggot, AR; as well as Carthage, Lennett, Malden and Popular Bluff, MO who contracted to receive that share of power.
"An ownership interest would be expected to provide slightly lower cost, but there are some trade-offs in terms of risk," said Duncan Kincheloe, General Manager and CEO of Missouri Public Utility Alliance which includes MoPEP. "For example, if the plant had not been able to achieve successful construction and wasn't capable of generating any electricity, there would be no cost to MoPEP although those with ownership interest would still be responsible for costs of the attempted construction."
Kirkwood utility is branching out with biomass
December 14, 2010
By Jeffrey Tomich • www.STLtoday.com
Friday, December 10, 2010
Kirkwood's Mark Petty faces a conundrum familiar to the head of any utility these days.
As director of the city's 10,000-customer electric system, he must hold rates in check today — or raise the ire of customers already coping with a sluggish economy. But he also faces pressure to incorporate more expensive clean sources of energy — or risk seeing future prices soar because of more stringent environmental rules.
Petty hopes part of the solution may be a novel project under way a few blocks from his office, at the site of Kirkwood Green, a first-of-its-kind project in the St. Louis area to use tree limbs and other municipal wood waste as a fuel for electricity generation. Unlike many existing biomass power projects around the country, which incinerate wood for heat to produce electricity, this tiny suburban power plant would convert wood waste into a cleaner synthetic gas that is then burned.
Story continued here
Piggott Council Learns More about New Environmental Regulations
November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Piggott Times
Upcoming federal environmental requirements may require changes to the diesel engine-operated generators used by the City of Piggott. During Monday's City Council meeting, Floyd Gilzow, director of members relations and public affairs of the Missouri Public Utility Alliance (MPUA), offered some insight into the approaching new requirements.
According to Gilzow, new regulations regarding "clean air laws" will require more strict guidelines will be enforced in regards to the use of diesel engine generators after May 2013. Any stationary diesel generator, whether used to provide power or to operate pumps and compressors, etc., will be required to have a catalytic converter in place, unless the generator is used only for emergency situations.
With the cost of these catalytic converters ranging from $45,000 to $140,000, the expense of adding them could be great.
Mayor Gerald Morris said Piggott has included the cost of one of these converters in its 2011 budget. The city is currently examining possibilities for meeting the requirements.
The requirements do not include generators which are mobile, such as a generator owned by the city which is attached to a trailer. Emergency generators also are not required to meet the same clean air guidelines, however, the definition of an emergency is strictly adhered to in current environmental laws. Under current guidelines, the city would not be allowed emergency use of one of their generators to provide power in the event of routine line maintenance, as the loss of power would be due to a planned event, not an unplanned emergency.
According to Gilzow, institutions such as hospitals are not required to meet the same standards.
Fortunately, these guidelines are being reviewed, with changes a possibility.
Clean air guidelines will also be applied to the Plum Point power plant, of which Piggott is a partner. As the plant was recently constructed, it was built to meet many of the upcoming regulations, leaving its standing in good shape, on the whole.
City Utilities of Springfield's Southwest Power Station Unit 2 Officially Operational
November 11, 2010
Springfield, Missouri— Southwest Power Station Unit 2 (SW2), Springfield’s newest electric generating
source, was formally dedicated and synched to the power grid during ceremonies held on November 10, 2010.
Construction of the 300-megawatt plant took four years, but planning had been underway since early
2003. Testing and commissioning procedures will continue to take place with full commercial operation
of the plant expected early in January.
“With this new unit, we believe that a balance of reliable, affordable and responsible power has been
met,” said City Utilities General Manager, John Twitty. “Today we take time to pause, reflect and
celebrate that achievement.”
Among those attending Wednesday’s ceremony was Mark Crisson, President and CEO of the American
Public Power Association (APPA). Crisson addressed the issue utility providers face when evaluating
power resources. “We are currently having a national debate about the merits of different power
resources – coal, natural gas, renewable, nuclear and energy efficiency. But the fact is that we need all of
them, including coal, to maintain a diverse, reliable power supply. The state-of-the art technology built
into Southwest 2 assures that its power will not only be affordable and reliable, but will also meet the strictest
emissions standards.”
Springfield voters approved the construction of the 300-megawatt plant in June, 2006. Cost of
construction was $555 million, $697 million with financing. CU estimates that following construction of
SW2, additional base load generation will not been needed until 2020 or later.
Lisa Officer, City Utilities Board Chair, completed the official synchronization to the power grid with the click of a computer mouse. As the digital monitoring screen started displaying megawatts synching, the crowd cheered.
Mayor Jim O'Neal thanked the utility for building a power plant that would enhance Springfield's ability to bring jobs to the area.
“Springfield is open for business,” he declared, “and we’ve got the power to prove it!”
CU provides electric service to 110,000 customers.