Cleco Corp. Receives Approval to Start Construction of $1 Billion Solid-Fuel Unit
March 22 2006 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
Cleco Corp. (NYSE:CNL) today announced its board of directors has
given approval to build a $1 billion solid-fuel unit at the
company's Rodemacher Power Station near Boyce. The board's March 17
vote clears the way for construction to start in April on the
600-megawatt unit. The project is expected to be completed in late
2009. "We want to start construction as soon as possible because
this project holds such great potential for our customers and for
central Louisiana," Cleco President and CEO Michael Madison said.
"The unit will help stabilize and lower the cost of power for our
customers by limiting our dependence on expensive natural gas and
diversifying our fuel mix. We expect customers will save as much as
$4 billion over the 30-year life of the unit. "Not only will
customers benefit in the long run, but the short-term economic
impact will be tremendous. We estimate 1,200 people will be working
on the unit at the peak of construction," Madison said. "Economists
tell us construction will generate an additional $18 million in
state taxes and $12 million in local sales tax revenue. Also,
estimates are the unit will add $157 million in local property
taxes over 30 years." The Louisiana Public Service Commission
approved the project on Feb. 22, and all of the necessary
environmental permits to begin construction have been issued. The
latest permit received was a water permit from the Louisiana
Department of Environmental Quality. The unit will use circulating
fluidized-bed (CFB) technology. The design calls for two
330-megawatt CFB boilers and a single generator that will produce a
nominal 600 megawatts of power. The boilers can burn a variety of
fuels, although the primary fuel of choice is petroleum coke
(petcoke). Petcoke is a byproduct of the oil-refining process and
produced in abundant quantities in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast
region. Cleco Corp. is a regional energy provider headquartered in
Pineville, La. It operates a regulated electric utility company
that serves about 267,000 customers across Louisiana. Cleco also
operates a wholesale energy business that has approximately 1,350
megawatts of generating capacity. For more information about Cleco,
visit www.cleco.com. Please note: This news release contains
forward-looking statements about future results and circumstances
with respect to which there are many risks and uncertainties,
including weather and other natural phenomena, state and federal
legislative and regulatory initiatives, the timing and extent of
changes in commodity prices and interest rates, the timing of
completion of the construction of and operational startup of the
new unit, and the other risks and uncertainties more fully
described in the company's latest Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Actual results may differ materially from those indicated in such
forward-looking statements.
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