The facility, which represents a capital investment of about $750m, will gain additional efficiency by capturing waste heat from the combustion process and using it to generate more power. The final location for the project has not yet been determined. However, land already owned by OPC in Monroe county, as well as several other unspecified sites, will be considered.
Mike Price, CEO of OPC, said: “The combined cycle facilities offer many benefits, including very high efficiency, low emissions and good track records for reliability. We expect this facility to be an outstanding addition to our power generating portfolio, providing clean, reliable electricity for our member owners throughout the state.”
Construction of the facility is expected to begin in 2013, and the plant would become operational in 2015. About 22 full-time employees will operate the facility.
OPC is a power supply cooperative with approximately $6bn in assets serving 39 EMCs that collectively provide electricity to approximately four million Georgia citizens. The company’s diverse energy portfolio includes natural gas, hydroelectric, coal and nuclear generating plants with a combined capacity of approximately 5,500MW, as well as purchased power.
