SWEPCO Building New Powerplant
By: Jennifer Griggy
Updated: May 4, 2007
(Shreveport, LA) The Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) has awarded a $700 million contract to build a new powerplant in Fulton.
The Shaw Group of Baton Rouge, La. received the contract to build the 600-megawatt coal-fueled John W. Turk, Jr. Power Plant in Hempstead County near Texarkana. SWEPCO is seeking the necessary regulatory approvals to build the plant from various Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana authorities.
When regulatory approval is received, the plant will be built using ultra-supercritical pulverized coal combustion technology. Operating with higher steam pressures and temperatures, the plant will require less fuel per megawatt hour of electricity generated than traditional coal-fired plants, resulting in increased efficiency and reduced emissions.
The Turk Plant, named for a former SWEPCO president, is scheduled to be completed in mid-2011 at a total cost of about approximately $1.3 billion.
SWEPCO serves over 464,000 customers in three states: 112,000 in western Arkansas, 176,000 in Northwest Louisiana, and 176,000 in East and North Texas.
(Copyright 2007 Newsroom Solutions, LLC)
