By By Sheila Blackmon/The Meridian Star
July 27, 2001
DeKALB Site preparation is underway for a planned Tennessee Valley Authority power plant, with a site manager from General Electric Co. expected to arrive next week.
Dean Peoples, project and construction manager on site for TVA, said grading and site preparation is expected to be complete by mid-September. The site is on Cobb Road, about a mile north of Mississippi 16.
Peoples said GE personnel, who will build the plant and turn it over to TVA when it meets certain specifications, will come from across the country. The major generator and turbine components are expected to start arriving by rail in mid-September.
The first of the simple-cycle, dual-fuel combustion turbine units is scheduled to start-up in early June 2002. The other three are expected to be operational by the end of July 2002, he said.
Electricity from the plant will be used during peak demands for electricity, such as the summer or winter.
Mike McGrevey, Kemper County Economic Development Authority executive director, said the plant will create 10 to 15 regular TVA positions as well as jobs for security, custodial, grounds maintenance and small-engine repair. He said the plant will mean $2.5 million a year for the local economy.
Peoples said Kemper County officials and business leaders have been very accommodating.
Sheila Blackmon is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. Call her at 693-1551, ext. 3275, or e-mail her at sblackmon@themeridianstar.com.