Construction Begins on Gas-Fired Power Plant in Monroe County
From The Herald Star:
Before it closed in 2013, the Ormet Aluminum Corp. in Monroe County used the same amount of power in a day that the entire city of Pittsburgh did.
“And that was 540 megawatts of power we were using,” explained Robert Cox, general manager of the Long Ridge Energy Terminal, on the former Ormet site.
On Thursday, the terminal at 43840 state Route 7, north of Hannibal, hosted those representing local, state and national partners at the site to break ground for a new 485-megawatt natural gas power plant estimated to be complete in two and a half years.
Cox has been on the site managing operations for 30 years and saw the Ormet plant at its peak production capacity until its closing in 2013.
“That closure really impacted the local economy, it took a hit,” noted Ed Looman, project manager of the Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth.
The facility closed due to high utility costs after the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio did not grant rate relief the company said it needed for electricity.Click here to continue reading.