Changes Sought for Power Plant
The operator of a large power plant on Lake Cumberland wants to make $24 million in modifications to make sure the facility can still generate electricity if the level of the lake drops substantially.
The plan calls for adding barge-mounted water pumps and a cooling tower at Cooper Station, in Pulaski County. East Kentucky Power Cooperative, which operates the plant, filed an application for the project with the state Public Service Commission yesterday.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to keep the lake level much lower than usual this summer — 680 feet above sea level instead of 723 feet — to ease pressure on Wolf Creek Dam, which is leaking. The corps is making emergency repairs and will decide later this year what level to keep the lake at in 2008.
Cooper Station draws water from the lake for cooling. If the lake stays at 680 feet, East Kentucky does not anticipate any problems generating power at Cooper, said spokesman Kevin Osbourn.
However, if the water drops below 675, the plant could not generate electricity, according to a consultant’s report with the application submitted yesterday. That could lead to blackouts in several southern Kentucky counties.
The corps notified East Kentucky Power that it should modify intakes at Cooper Station to be able to draw in water at a lake level of 650 feet in case the corps has to drop the lake level below 680. The corps told the cooperative it should complete the work by the end of the year.
The plan for barge-mounted pumps to get water into the plant and a cooling tower would allow Cooper to generate electricity at a lake level of 650 feet.
East Kentucky asked the PSC to expedite its application for the project. With state approval, East Kentucky can finish the new water-supply and cooling system this year, Osbourn said.
Osbourn said East Kentucky is evaluating the best way to pay for the work with the least impact on customers. It will ultimately ask the PSC for permission to recover costs through a rate increase, Osbourn said.
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Copyright (c) 2007, The Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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