Associated Electric Cooperative

Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc. (AECI) is owned by and provides wholesale power to six regional and 51 local electric cooperative systems in Missouri, northeast Oklahoma and southeast Iowa that serve roughly 850,000 customers.

Power portfolio
Out of its total 4,131 megawatts (MW) of electric generating capacity in 2005 (0.39% of the U.S. total), AECI got 56.5% from coal, 42.4% from natural gas, and 1.1% from oil. (In 2007-08, AECI brought 155 MW of wind power online; wind now contributes 3.6% of the company's generating capacity.) AECI owns power plants in Missouri and Oklahoma.

Existing coal-fired power plants
AECI had 5 coal-fired generating stations in 2005, with 2,367 MW of capacity. Here is a list of AECI's coal power plants:

In 2005, AECI's 2 major coal-fired power plants emitted 16.0 million tons of CO2 and 33,000 tons of SO2.

Coal Plant on Hold
In 2005 ACEI proposed a 660 megawatt (MW) merchant utility coal plant, Norborne Baseload Plant, quietly acquiring property in the desired area early that year before residents learned of the planned plant in Carroll County, Missouri.

A draft Environmental Impact Statement was released in 2007.

A public hearing held on Nov. 13, 2007, saw numerous groups expressing opposition to the plant.

On March 3, 2008, ACEI announced that it was placing plans for the plant on hold. A company press release cited three factors for the decision:
 * "The Norborne project costs have significantly increased in less than three years and are now estimated at $2 billion due to worldwide demand for engineering, skilled labor, equipment and materials."
 * "The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service, a traditional funding source for rural electric cooperatives, is currently unable to finance baseload generation for cooperatives. Although AECI’s AA credit rating is one of the strongest ratings among all electric utilities nationally, seeking private lending would further increase project costs."
 * "There also is increasing uncertainty in the regulatory environment, and Congress continues to debate the environmental and economic impact of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, making the cost of reducing carbon dioxide from power plants unknown."

The coop plans to pursue a combination of efficiency measures, wind power, and nuclear power.

Contact details
Website: http://www.aeci.org/

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Missouri and coal
 * United States and coal
 * Global warming