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A local citizens group takes issue with plans to build a coal fired power plant and calls for a change in management philosophy at City Utilities. Mike Smith has the story:
February 14, 2006
Less than a week after the City Utilities Citizens Advisory Council unanimously endorsed construction of a 300 Megawatt coal fired generating unit at the Southwest Power Station, another citizens group made public a different philosophy on how to meet the electric power needs of the Springfield metro area.
Gary Wright represents Southwest Missouri Citizens for Clean Energy, which Monday in a joint news conference with Southwest Missouri Citizens for Affordable Energy represented by Lance Wright, outlined the groups ideas for alternatives to a coal fired power plant.
In August 2004, voters turned down a proposal to build a 500 million dollar 300 Megawatt coal fired power plant. City Utilities then asked city and sounty leaders to form a "Power Supply Community Task Force, which after a series of meetings and presentations from energy experts, determined that a coal fired power plant in conjuction with conservation measures is still the best alternative for City Utilities.
Gary Wright says his organization believes that "true need right now is for peak power generation, and not 300 Megawatts of base load power. And we believe that incremental investments in conservation, alternate energy and gas peaking units are cleaner and cheaper than tying up 700 million dollars of capital in a conventional coal fired generation plant".
Lance Wright suggested City Utilities adopt a new management style which would incorporate "natural gas peaking plants or renewable and alternative power like sewage methane power generators, wind and solar generators and net metering."
City Utilities General Manager John Twitty says "To suggest that we could make up for the kind of growth we are experiencing with incremental kinds of approaches without negative effects, is simply not accurate. There may be the day when technology allows for a variety of ways to generate or import safe, reliable, and affordable power, but that day is not today, and with an eye to the future we have to make things happen when people demand them of us."
City Utilties hopes to put the issue to voters on the June ballot. If passed, it's estimated the power plant will now cost 690 million dollars to build.
For KSMU News, I'm Mike Smith.
