AMP-Ohio coal plant construction cost hike confirmed…
… $400 million, just like we heard earlier this week.
Citizen Action has the full (somewhat redacted) feasibility study update by RW Beck on line.
The 960-megawatt AMPGS plant in Meigs County is now officially estimated to cost $3.4 billion including financing expenses. More cost hikes are certain.
Cleveland City Council will hold its final day of hearings on whether Public Power should keep its stake in this project this Friday, starting at 9:30 am. One of the things they’ll be talking about is this independent consultant’s analysis of problems with the contract the City is being asked to sign by March 1.
Incidentally, Shannon Fisk of the Natural Resources Defense Council tells me that RW Beck, the utility industry consultant responsible for the feasibility study of the AMPGS project, already has a multimillion dollar contract with AMP-Ohio to manage the construction. Makes it kind of unlikely they’re going to question its feasibility, don’t you think?
February 20th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
[...] We never really talked much about the economic feasibilty of a fifty year contract or why it is in the best interest of our city except to bring in the CPP (Cleveland Public Power) piece which I understand is quite fragile at this point in time because it cannot expand unless there is a place to buy coal reasonably. CPP is often brought up as the reason that our rates here in Cleveland are what they are, but I don’t see the advantage.  CPP and CEI rates are comparable. We have  some of the highest rates if not the highest rates in Ohio. Bill Callahan often posts on this issue. Here, here, and here are examples of the questions Bill posits. And then there is this post about the issue that includes  the independent study paid for by Ohio Citizens For Action that made me really sit up and take notice. [...]