Four of 10 electric membership cooperatives planning a $2 billion coal-fired power plant in Washington County have pulled out of the project, according to environmental groups that have campaigned against the 850-megawatt generating station.
Jackson Electric Membership Corp., Diverse Power Inc., Excelsior EMC and GreyStone Power Corp. all announced this week their intentions to abandon participation in the project, said Midge Sweet, the campaign director for Georgians for Smart Energy.
The plant, which would be built near Sandersville about 70 miles from Augusta, would use coal to generate electricity for as many as 700,000 Georgians. The consortium planning the project, Power4Georgians, LLC, still has six partners who would undertake a larger stake in the new plant.
Georgians for Smart Energy contends the plant would emit unacceptable levels of pollution and have lobbied for investments in cleaner power sources.
Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division, which is processing permits for the plant, estimates the plant’s annual emissions would include 678 tons of soot particles, 1,896 tons of sulfur dioxide, 145 tons of sulfuric acid, 1,160 pounds of lead, 120 pounds of mercury.
Ms. Sweet said in a press release today that Georgians for Smart Energy will continue efforts to persuade the project’s remaining partners, including two in the Atlanta area, Snapping Shoals EMC and Cobb EMC, to pull out of the consortium.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Another bunch of invoremental dummies that have no idea how much more it would cost to generate that much power with wind or solar power. They would probably complain about the ugly wind generators that kill birds. You better not even think about building a new power line to get that green power to market. Might need to cut down a few trees.
Evidently, the person hired (apparantly without competitive bids) to build Plant Washington is up to his eyeballs in the corruption in Cobb county. He is one of "Sommy Pudues boys" The EMCs that got out knew that and did not want to be "in business" with him or his cohorts. That was coupled with the fact that it is going to be much more expensive to build (even if they get EPA permits). It looks as though this plant is not about making cheap electricity--it is about individials making money.
Coal fired? Why not natural gas? They're practically giving that stuff away right now.
when trying to denigrate some one to idiocy, please use correct spelling so as not to seem like a dumb ace yourself. the word is environmental. and who doesn't want clean air?
The technology for using coal and keeping pollution levels extremely low already has been developed. It's very bad news that the new age religion of Earth worship is having success in taking this cheap, plentiful resource away from us. It should be happeningt, but "Green" is the new politically correct cache, and it's going to cost us in a very big way. The pagans are gathering more and more power every year.
Clean coal is a "political term" dreamed up to make people think that a way to use coal and not pollute has been devised. Coal will never be clean. the pollutants have to go somewhere--in the water, in the earth, or in the air. Poor rural Georgia and Alabame are now being sent the dirty coal ash that other richer states will not take.
It's no surprise that they are trying to build this plant in one of the poorest counties in Georgia. Imagine if they tried building it In Gwinnett, Cobb or Fulton County? There would be protests. There are cleaner forms of energy.
Over a year ago, the federal government agency which oversees rural electric cooperatives announced that it would no longer finance coal fired power plants for cooperatives. That was an excellent decision, IMHO. No new coal plants should be built, and the ones in operation should be phased out, and be replaced by solar, wind, geothermal, and ocean current. FL Atlantic University has stated that the GulfStream can supply ALL THE POWER that Georgia, Florida, and the other Atlantic coastal states will ever need -- so there's no need for new coal plants or nuclear plants. And there's no sucha thang as "clean coal" - it's just plain old dirty, and mountains are destroyed in mining it. And that should stop right now. You coal supporters are losing; get with the program.
It's not about cheap energy? It's about making money? Of course it's about making money you idiot. Why would a business take on a venture if they couldn't make money? Isn't that what they are in business to do?
Clean Coal is a lie... there's no such thing. I'd rather have nuclear than coal.
Of course it's about making money, and I am sure it will "trickle down" to everybody. ;( But Power4Georgians has promoted Plant Washington as a way to keep electricity "cheap" for us overburdened taxpayers. They promise jobs, jobs, jobs. In reality, there will be very few jobs for locals. Instead, local residents will have dirty and polluted air and water. Electric bills will still go up.
Nuclear technology people.