Questions & Answers
General
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The electric power plant is a 582-megawatt integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC). IGCC is designed specifically to have an advanced gasification plant and a combined cycle plant work together. This coal gasification facility will be located in Kemper County, Mississippi, approximately 30 miles north of Meridian. It will be owned and operated by Mississippi Power.
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Additional electricity by the summer peak season of 2014 is needed for the growing Mississippi population and the future needs of customers.
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Mississippi Power performed an assessment of numerous sites in the state for the potential addition of an IGCC power plant. Kemper County takes advantage of an untapped natural resource — Mississippi lignite. The site is close to lignite and natural gas and provides geographic diversity to help balance the electric demand and strengthen electric reliability in Mississippi.
Local Impact
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Investment - Mississippi Power's capital investment will greatly expand the local tax revenue.
New jobs - During the 4-year construction period, nearly 12,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created. When the plant becomes operational, approximately 1,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created, including the nearly 300 to operate the plant and mine.
Infrastructure improvements - Revenue from the project will enhance local schools and will help equip first responders.
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Plant operating staff can be hired locally or from within the company, depending upon qualifications. Mississippi Power continually seeks qualified employees. Go to Mississippi Power's careers website to submit a resume and/or apply for current job openings.
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Yes. To offset the costs to construct and operate the facility, Mississippi Power has received a $270 million grant from the Department of Energy and $412 million in investment tax credits approved by the IRS through the National Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008.
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The Kemper County energy facility will have fewer particulate, sulfur dioxide and mercury emissions than traditional pulverized coal plants. Additionally, the facility plans to capture at least 65 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions, making it one of the first, if not the first, IGCC electric generating plants in the country with that capability. The facility will be a zero liquid discharge facility. That means none of the water used in the process of generating electricity will make its way to local waterways.
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Yes. During construction, crews will use an access road just south of Hwy 493 to enter the plant site. Once operational, the facility will sell byproducts from plant operations which will be transported in approximately 12-15 truckloads per day.
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In a similar arrangement with a generating plant and an adjacent mining site in Choctaw County, deer, birds and other wildlife coexist with the project. We expect the same peaceful habitat at the Kemper County energy facility.
Plant Specific
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President Barack Obama has made clean energy a national priority. Part of his energy plan is to "spur the development of low-carbon sources of energy -- everything from wind, solar, and geothermal power to safe nuclear energy and cleaner coal."
The IGCC process sends coal through a device called a gasifier. By being subjected to high temperatures and high pressure, the coal undergoes a chemical reaction that creates a synthesis gas. The cleaned "syngas" is then used in a gas turbine to generate power with fewer emissions than traditional coal plants - thereby making it a cleaner technology using coal.
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The Kemper County energy facility CO2 byproduct will be sold for EOR. CO2 injection is a common method of EOR, in which the CO2 is injected into abandoned oil wells to force oil out of the ground.
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Neighbors can expect a quiet operation from the project in Kemper County, with noise levels at the site boundary being lower than those of a normal conversation.
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All lignite will be transported internally on the mine and plant site by trucks and conveyors that will not cross public roads. Natural gas will be routed to the site from the Tennessee Gas pipeline, which already exists near the property boundary.
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The site will be a zero liquid discharge facility. Therefore, no processed water from this plant is discharged into rivers, creeks or streams.
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Over the life of the plant, only a small fraction of proven lignite reserves in Mississippi will be utilized. Typically, the life expectancy of power plants is 30-40 years, but Mississippi Power plants boast a successful history of being well-maintained and stay in operation longer than the industry standard.
