ATLANTA, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power announced today that the
company is proposing to replace a coal-fueled plant in metro Atlanta with a
more efficient natural gas-fueled generating unit.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050216/CLW066LOGO)
Replacing coal-fueled Plant Jack McDonough, located in Smyrna, with a
natural gas-fueled "combined cycle" generating unit is expected to be more
cost effective than retrofitting the plant with expensive environmental
controls. The natural gas-fueled unit also will produce cleaner energy than
McDonough's two coal units, even if those coal units were retrofitted with
the additional controls.
As a result of growth in demand and increased environmental
regulations, Georgia Power is proposing - in a filing next year with the
Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) - to invest in a new 800-megawatt
natural gas combined cycle unit at the 370-acre site.
The proposal to replace the coal units will be submitted with the
company's 2007 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which will be filed in late
January at the PSC.
In a prior "Requests for Proposals" (RFP) filing at the PSC, the
company proposed adding two other 800-megawatt natural gas fueled
generators at the McDonough site. The addition of a third unit to replace
McDonough's coal- fueled units would bring the capacity of the site to
2,400 megawatts. Georgia Power will file a certification request for the
first two units with the PSC in late January.
Plant Jack McDonough was built inside the perimeter near Smyrna in the
1960s to provide a reliable source of electricity to metro Atlanta. The
company also recently demolished a 1940s-era coal plant, Plant Atkinson, at
the same site.
"Plant McDonough has been an important part of our system in the metro
Atlanta area for many years," said Mike Garrett, Georgia Power president
and CEO. "Replacing these coal units with highly-efficient combined cycle
units is expected to cost less - and improve Atlanta's air quality."
Georgia Power expects to invest billions of dollars on new
environmental controls on its larger, more efficient coal-fueled power
plants. "For our larger units, it makes sense economically and
environmentally to invest in these controls," said Chuck Huling, Georgia
Power's vice president of environmental affairs.
"Plant McDonough is the only coal-fueled power plant we have located
within the metro area, so replacing the coal units with gas generators will
help improve the air in metro Atlanta," Huling said. "We have significantly
reduced NOx emissions statewide by installing Selective Catalytic Reduction
(SCR) technology and we're in the process of building scrubbers to reduce
SO2 emissions on many of our larger units." Huling added. "Removing the
coal units at Plant McDonough will significantly reduce NOx and SO2
emissions from a plant site located within the perimeter of metro Atlanta."
"It makes sense to use an existing generating site near Atlanta for new
generation from a land use standpoint," Garrett added. "Use of this site
also helps add reliability to our system by ensuring we have adequate
generating capacity near a high-demand area."
If Georgia Power's proposals are approved by the PSC and the company
receives appropriate permits, construction is expected to begin on the
first gas unit in 2008. This unit is scheduled to be on-line late in 2010,
and the total project would be completed by 2012.
Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the
nation's largest generators of electricity. The company is an
investor-owned, tax-paying utility, serving 2.25 million customers in 155
of 159 counties in Georgia. Georgia Power's rates remain well below the
national average.
SOURCE Georgia Power
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Related links:
http://www.georgiapower.com/
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050216/CLW066LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
John Sell or Tiffany Gilstrap of Georgia
Power, +1-404-506-7676, or +1-800-282-1696
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