August 22, 2006

 

County Lands New Westar Plant

 

By Brandy Nance

 

 Westar Energy announced this morning that Lyon County is the site for a new $330 million power plant. The natural gas-fired combustion turbine peaking power plant will be built near the company’s Lang substation, which is about six miles northeast of Emporia, off Road 200, east of Road S.

 

 At a press conference this morning in the county commission chamber of the Lyon County Courthouse, Westar Energy announced the construction of the plant, which is set to begin in spring of 2007. The first phase of the plant, which will be on a 160-acre plot, is scheduled to begin generating electricity in the summer of 2008.

 

 The plant will increase the county’s assessed valuation by more than $50 million – 24% of the tax revenue. The North Lyon County School District will benefit from this revenue, according to Westar.

 

 The state does allow for property tax exemptions for such projects, so the tax benefit could be somewhat delayed, said Jim Ludwig, Westar vice-president of regulatory and public affairs.

 

 During peak construction, the plant will bring about 125 jobs to the county. That will drop to two to six jobs after the plant is operational. “The new modern power plants do not require a large staff to run,” Ludwig said. He added that while the plant will run only during peak demand times, it will be staffed year-round.

 

 A peaking power plant is intended to operate during Westar Energy’s highest customer demand times, primarily in the summer. The plant will produce about half the power generated by Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station, having an initial generating capacity of up to 300 megawatts. Additional capacity will be added in phase two, which is scheduled for completion in 2009, bringing the capacity up to 600 megawatts. The plants generating turbines will burn natural gas.

 

 “This plant is a very important part of our plan to meet the increasing needs of our customers in a reliable cost effective manner,” said Doug Sterbenz, executive vice-president of generation and marketing. “The plant will be a state-of-the-art facility and designed to minimize any impact on the neighbors and the environment.”

 

 A question raised before the press conference began was why choose natural gas instead of coal as fuel. Karla Olsen, a spokeswoman for Westar said that natural gas is the better alternative since the plant will only run during the summer months, when natural gas is more readily available. Coal is usually used only to fuel base-load plants, which run year round. Also, Ludwig said, the site would not support a coal plant.

 

 Beginning in May 2005, Westar hired Burns & McDonnell of Kansas City, MO, to conduct a comprehensive study for a new peaking plant site. Based on the study, which evaluated several criteria, including the availability of natural gas, environmental impact, transmission access and community support, Lyon County was chosen out of 53 possible locations throughout Kansas.

“We’re pleased to have received interest in our new plant from 29 different communities,” Ludwig said. “We are grateful for the strong support of the people from this region and the Regional Development Association (RDA) of East Central Kansas have shown for this site.”

The RDA is a collaborative partnership among Lyon County, Emporia, Emporia Enterprises and the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau.

 

 “The residents of Emporia and parts of Lyon County are fortunate to have Westar Energy as our electrical supplier,” said Ray Toso, RDA chairman. “Not only does it provide reliable and affordable electrical service, it is a tremendous asset to this community.”

 

 The next step for the site includes re-zoning for heavy industrial use. That request will go before the Lyon County Planning and Appeals Board. The property is now zoned as agricultural use. Westar will need to make an application to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.