New power plant set to open Feb. 17

The new natural-gas-fueled Louisiana Energy and Power Authority Plant in Morgan City is scheduled to be in operation by Feb. 17 and should provide more stable power costs and reliable power to the city.
The power plant’s original completion date was supposed to be in September 2015 but the project had some delays, said Morgan City Mayor and LEPA board member Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi.
Officials broke ground on the 64-megawatt, $120 million combined-cycle gas turbine power plant in April 2014. Morgan City owns a 10-megawatt, or roughly $20 million share, of the plant located on Youngs Road.
Benefits of the new plant include replacing the city’s inefficient, antiquated steam plant with the most fuel-efficient, latest technology, Grizzaffi said.
In the long term, the new power plant will help stabilize residents’ electricity rates when the price of natural gas rises, Grizzaffi said. Power generated by the plant will be put onto the power grid.
The Joseph Cefalu Sr. Municipal Steam Plant in Morgan City is no longer in use so the city is currently getting all of its power through the grid at the Bayou Ramos power substation, Grizzaffi said.
Morgan City is one of six LEPA member communities that signed on to build the plant. Each member community will benefit from the lower rates, Grizzaffi said. Those members also include Houma, Rayne, Jonesboro, Plaquemine and Vidalia.
Another major benefit of the new plant, once it’s in use, will be its reliability in the event of a tropical storm or hurricane, Grizzaffi said.
Waste heat from the plant’s gas turbine will be recovered and used to produce additional power, a LEPA news release said. The combine cycle gas turbine generators are highly efficient and support clean air.
The unit runs on clean burning natural gas, minimizing extensive environmental control systems. A natural gas pipeline will connect the plant to the Texas Gas Transmission pipeline. The plant will also use reclaimed water discharged from the nearby Morgan City Waste Water Treatment Plant, conserving treated water.
The plant will be equipped with an emergency diesel generator to provide for the ability to operate the facility without relying on other generating facilities or external sources of power, the release said.
LEPA, which the Legislature created in 1979, works to provide its member communities with firm, stable sources of electricity at the lowest possible cost, its mission statement says.
Conversations about the plant began in November 2009 at a LEPA operating committee meeting, LEPA General Manager Cordell Grand said at the groundbreaking. Officials decided that Morgan City would be the right fit for the power plant, and in October 2010, the participating communities got together to jointly fund the development of a project through the issuing of bonds, Grand said.
Robins and Morton Group of Birmingham, Alabama, was the construction contractor.
Grizzaffi will give a LEPA report during today’s city council meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. Also on the agenda is a mosquito control update, election of major pro-tem, resolutions authorizing signatures for the Louisiana Community Development Block Grant program contract extension and wharf contract amendment, and a resolution of respect for Paul Vella Sr.
Guests on the council agenda include Café JoJo’s for Rhythms on the River, Krewe of Dionysus for the Irish and Italian Heritage Parade, Woodrow Parker for the 2016 Water Safety Event, and the 2016 Porch Fest.