Central Electric Power Cooperative

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Award Winning Effort in Energy Efficiency

Central Electric Power Cooperative and its eight member distribution cooperatives recently received recognition in the 2010 “Spotlight on Excellence” national awards program, sponsored by the Council of Rural Electric Communicators and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Central Electric Power Cooperative and its eight member distribution cooperatives received an Award of Merit for the “Energy Efficiency Education Walls.” “The judges noted that emphasis on being good stewards of each cooperative’s resources while still doing the vital job of communicating with members” said Maggie Tilley, administrator of Spotlight on Excellence. “In difficult economic times, this has been especially challenging, yet, cooperative communicators rose to the occasion.” The group was honored at a special luncheon for the award recipients during the Connect 2010 Conference held in Kansas City, MO on May 12, 2010. Winning entries were displayed during the event. The annual Spotlight awards competition recognizes the top-rated communications and marketing efforts by electric cooperatives and related organizations. Participants in the awards competition competed with electric cooperatives of similar sizes in 19 categories. Electric cooperative communicators and marketing professionals submitted more than 804 entries in the Spotlight on Excellence program, now in its 22nd year. Faculty members from the University of Missouri – Columbia and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill judged the entries.

Ribbon cutting launches Chamois Power Plan algae experiment to reduce carbon dioxide

 SPRINGFIELD, MO. – Central Electric Power Cooperative hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 31, 2010 for an algae demonstration project at its Chamois Power Plant, east of Jefferson City on the Missouri River. Springfield-based Associated Electric Cooperative and Central Electric Power Cooperative are collaborating with Lincoln University, Jefferson City, and Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, to study the feasibility of using carbon dioxide (CO2) in flue gas from Chamois Power Plant to feed algae. The demonstration project features algae growing in five large pools. The algae use energy from sunlight to feed on the flue gas CO2 as it bubbles up through the water. The experiment will determine whether this process can in fact capture CO2 and possibly reduce emissions said to contribute to climate change. In addition to mitigating climate change concerns, the algae contain an oil that can be processed into biodiesel. Other algae components can be used to make other products, including ethanol and livestock feed. The research project is funded by the cooperatives and performed in conjunction with algae research projects conducted at the two universities and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service and the Missouri Life Sciences Research Board. Principal researchers are Dr. Keesoo Lee, associate professor of biology, Lincoln University, and Dr. Paul Nam, assistant professor of chemistry, Missouri University of Science and Technology. This algae experiment is Central Electric Power Cooperative’s latest experiment in producing green power from biomass over the past five years. The plant has used corn cobs, walnut shells and old railroad ties and currently is mixing turkey processing sludge with coal to produce electricity. Central is one of six generation and transmission cooperatives that own Associated Electric Cooperative, which supplies them with wholesale power. Last year, 11 percent of Associated Electric Cooperative’s power came from renewable sources.

Electric Co-Ops to Buy Power from Missouri’s First Wind Farm

Central’s wholesale energy provider, Associated Electric Cooperative Inc., continues to diversify its owned and contracted generation resources, announcing in January 2006 that it will purchase power from Missouri's first utility-scale wind farm. The 50-megawatt "Bluegrass Ridge" wind farm in northwest Missouri is being developed and built by Wind Capital Group and John Deere Wind Energy.

"Associated Electric Cooperative is committed to providing affordable, renewable energy options to our members. We are particularly pleased that the wind energy we are purchasing is harvested in our service area and that this investment will be staying here in our own communities,” said Jim Jura, CEO and general manager of AECI, during a ceremony to announce the wind farm. “Adding wind turbines to the coal, natural gas, oil, hydropower and biomass generating resources we already use will help us improve our ability to fulfill our mission of providing reliable, low-cost electricity to rural electric cooperative members,” he said.

The wind energy project, located near King City, Mo., will include 24, Suzlon S-88 turbines capable of producing enough power for up to 30,000 homes. Construction is expected to begin in early summer with at least 16 turbines operational by the end of 2006.

Central Electric’s Award-Winning Education Programs

In 2004 Central Electric received the Silver Switch Award from the Rural Electricity Resource Council, formerly National Food and Energy Council, for its demonstrated commitment to education and electrical safety. Working as a team with its eight member cooperatives, Central and its members have developed an effective education program that brings the message of electricity’s value and safe use to schools, youth groups, adult audiences and community organizations. Every year the program reaches out to over 25,000 students and adults through the various programs offered.

Central Generates Green Power in 2003

Central’s Chamois Power Plant produced “green power” in 2003. Due to tornados that damaged the Hammons Products walnut facility in Stockton, Missouri on May 5, 2003, Central was able to purchase a large amount of walnut shells that would otherwise have been disposed of as waste in a local landfill.

Walnut shells are considered a renewable resource and therefore quality as “green power’. These shells were so finely ground that they worked well as a blend with the coal. Our Chamois plant employees were able to develop an efficient method to blend the walnut shell stock into the coal system. This allowed Central to produce 4,825 megawatt hours of “green power”. Shelled corn was also used in a test burn to prove its viability as a biomass fuel.

Environmental Costs

Central's wholesale energy provider, Associated Electric Cooperative, is planning to spend about $468 million to further reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury by 2018. Additional operating costs for the new emissions controls are expected to be about $31 million annually.  These costs will have to be passed on to retail cooperative members in the form of future rate increases.  Although U.S. power plants contribute only 1 percent of the mercury in the air, a large amount of money will be spent to reduce this 1 percent to some fraction of 1 percent.