Despite the abrupt end of a previous project that left communities on the hook for millions of dollars, the non-profit American Municipal Power says it's getting broad buy-in from members on its next endeavor. ideastream's Bill Rice reports the city of Cleveland signed on earlier this week.
Cleveland is among the latest to approve a deal with AMP to get a portion of its electric power from of a 512 mW (megawatt) natural gas plant in Fremont, near Sandusky.
City Councilman Kevin Kelly says Cleveland Public Power will pay AMP approximately $17 million over 35 years. The plant will provide CPP about 15-20 percent of the power it supplies to nearly 80,000 customers. Kevin Kelley says it’s a good deal for Cleveland.
“We need to purchase electricity from somewhere; here we had the opportunity to do it at a low market value and through a technology that is much… makes much less carbon, over 50% less than your standard coal burning facility.” [16054, Kelley)
But not all of AMP’s 82 Ohio members are buying in. Painesville City Council this week voted unanimously to abstain. One reason council members cited was the failure in 2009 of AMP’s multi-million dollar coal power plant in Meigs County that was abruptly halted due to ballooning construction costs - dozens of communities are still paying the bill. Another reason Painesville opted out is the 35 year duration of the contract, which some believe could get in the way of tapping NEW sustainable energy sources that may emerge in abundance before that.
But an AMP spokesman says most member communities view the natural gas facility as a decent investment, even if they’re not participating. he expects about 70 percent of AMP members to sign on.