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<\/p>\nPalatka Daily News<\/p>\n
By\u00a0Wayne Smith\u00a0on Friday, August 16, 2019<\/p>\n
Seminole Electric plans on staying in Putnam County for years to come as it moves forward on plans to build a new natural gas-fired plant.<\/p>\n
The nonprofit cooperative updated local officials Thursday on the timeline of the $727 million project. Seminole Electric executives said construction at its Palatka facility will start early next year, with the project scheduled for completion in 2023.<\/p>\n
Once the new plant is operational, Seminole plans to remove one of its two coal-fired units in Palatka.<\/p>\n
Project Manager Thomas Reed said the Seminole Combined Cycle Facility is a major project for the company.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are about 20 of these type (of)\u00a0 plants being built in the entire world,\u201d Reed said. \u201cThis is the most efficient power plant available on the market today. When this facility is up and operational, people will come to visit it from all over the world. It will be one of those, \u2018Hey, we might want to build one of those,\u2019 and they\u2019ll want to come\u00a0and see one that\u2019s in operation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reed said a similar plant was built in France two years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt holds the Guinness world record for the most efficient power plant,\u201d Reed said. \u201cWe\u2019re getting one of those right here in Putnam County. That\u2019s kind of exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Seminole Generating Station is located on about 2,000 acres in Putnam County off U.S. 17 and went into operation in 1984.\u00a0 It employs 270 workers while providing power to 22,151 meters in the county through Clay Electric.<\/p>\n
With its two coal-fired units, the facility currently produces 1,300 megawatts of power. Once the new plant is online, the Palatka facility will generate 1,700 megawatts \u2013 a 27% increase in power output. Company officials said replacing one of the coal stacks with the natural gas-fired unit will result in a 40% reduction of air pollutants and a 34% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.<\/p>\n
Ryan Hart, Seminole\u2019s director of communications and energy policy, said the cooperative plans to maintain one of the coal units for energy diversity.\u00a0 He said the company has always found Putnam County to be a \u201cwonderful business partner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeminole has been in Putnam County for about 40 years, and we\u2019re making a commitment to continue to be in Putnam County for decades to come with the investment we\u2019re making in this state-of-the-art facility,\u201d Hart said.<\/p>\n
During the construction process, the company expects an average of 200 workers per month in Putnam County over approximately 33 months. During peak construction work, there may be 500 or more workers on site. The construction payroll will total approximately $48 million.<\/p>\n
General Electric will provide major equipment for the new plant, while TIC-Kiewit is the construction contractor. Reed said construction career fairs will be at a later date.<\/p>\n
Hart said the new plant will require about 30 workers to operate. He said the company is still evaluating how many workers will be needed to keep the one coal unit operating and looking at how current employees will be affected once the project is complete.<\/p>\n
Seminole announced plans for the natural gas plant in 2017.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur board intentionally gave Seminole five years in the hopes as we remove one of our coal units from service and transition to the combined cycle facility, that through natural retirements and job attrition and retraining, that we would be able to minimize the impact on any of our employees,\u201d Hart said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be less full-time jobs at the new facility once it\u2019s completed, but we are working with our employees to minimize the impact on the workforce. We\u2019ve started a job retraining program on combined cycle technology and have over 150 employees participating in our training.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reed said other sites were considered for the new plant, but there were multiple reasons Seminole decided to remain in Putnam County.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is existing infrastructure at the site that we are able to utilize,\u201d Reed said. \u201cBut the biggest reason we saw to stay in Putnam County is our relationship with the community. We value being a part of this community. We are a rural electric cooperative. This is a rural area of Florida, and it fits with Seminole.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reed said in addition to air quality improvements at the site, no wetlands will be impacted and protected species are being relocated. He said 54 gopher tortoises have been moved to a preservation site before site clearing begins.<\/p>\n
He said safety is a No. 1 priority during construction \u2013 for workers and for motorists traveling near the construction site. Seminole conducted a traffic analysis and said it will coordinate traffic during construction to minimize delays on U.S. 17.<\/p>\n
U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., said the investments Seminole Electric continues to make \u201cin our community is both exciting and humbling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe vision of Seminole Electric is exactly the type of leadership we need as Putnam County continues to grow,\u201d Yoho said. \u201cAs a major employer in this area, they are not only willing to invest in the future of their operations but (also in) the future of our county.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am especially excited about the move toward energy diversity within their portfolio that will feature natural gas predominantly in coming years. I want to thank them for investing their time, effort and energy into Putnam County and our citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bill Pickens, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, said he was thrilled to learn of Seminole\u2019s plans to start the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited they are recommitting to Putnam County and about to start on this project,\u201d Pickens said. \u201cThey will remove one coal-fired plant, but the construction of a new natural gas plant to take its place is a positive for Putnam County.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a very efficient plant and will reduce emissions. And the construction jobs may peak at around 500, so it will definitely help with the local economy. It\u2019s a win-win for Putnam County.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pickens said Seminole has been a \u201cgreat corporate citizen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems like they\u2019ve done an extreme amount of planning, and I\u2019m just really impressed with what is a great project,\u201d Pickens said. \u201cThe biggest thing is they\u2019ve supplied really good jobs here for almost 40 years, and they continue to give back to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lisa Johnson, CEO of Seminole Electric, said it was important to meet with local officials to discuss logistics of the project and challenges that might come into play as equipment is delivered for the new plant. She said Seminole will keep the community updated on the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very excited, and we\u2019re making great progress,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to keep moving forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a big project for us, and it\u2019s over $700 million invested in this community.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Tom Reed and Ryan Hart of Seminole Electric talk Thursday about plans the company has for upgrading the Palatka plant.<\/p>\n
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