West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin attended the official groundbreaking ceremony on 21 July. The more than $300M Willow Island project will employ 200-400 construction workers and provide seven to nine permanent operating positions. The project is expected to begin generating power in late 2014.
AMP is currently undertaking one of the largest developments of new run-of-the-river hydroelectric generation in the country.
In addition to the Willow Island project, AMP is constructing facilities at the Meldahl, Cannelton, and Smithland dams. Construction started in July 2009 on the Cannelton project and in July 2010 on the Smithland project, and May 2010 on the Meldahl project, which AMP is developing in partnership with the member community of Hamilton, Ohio. Two other potential projects at the R.C. Byrd and Pike Island dams are currently in the licensing phase with license applications pending before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
“The aggressive hydroelectric generation development being undertaken by AMP is designed to help our member communities diversify their power supply portfolio and increase their use of renewable generation,” AMP President/CEO Marc Gerken said. “The anticipated life of these projects means that generations to come will benefit from what we’re doing today. It is a large part of a coordinated effort to reduce our members’ dependence on the wholesale market and create balanced power supply at predictable costs. At the same time, this development effort is creating jobs and economic development in the region.”
“This is obviously a large undertaking,” Gerken added. “However, the Ohio River dams represent a valuable, largely untapped resource of renewable power. We’re proud of these projects and glad to be starting construction on the fourth facility. Our members are committed to providing a cleaner, safer, healthier and stable power supply portfolio to their customer/owners.”
AMP’s hydroelectric generation development efforts build on the success of the Belleville Hydroelectric Plant, operating on the Ohio River at the Belleville Locks and Dams, near Belleville, West Virginia. Built by AMP and owned by a joint venture of AMP member communities, the Belleville Hydroelectric Plant began commercial operation in 1999.
