Prairie State Energy Campus Advances to Full-Scale Construction

LIVELY GROVE, Ill., Oct. 1  /PRNewswire/ -- The Prairie State Energy Campus today celebrated groundbreaking for its 1,600 megawatt supercritical coal-fueled power plant that will be supplied by an adjacent mine.  Hundreds of area residents, community leaders and elected officials joined in a ceremony at the site of Prairie State's future home near Lively Grove.

The project is expected to create 2,300 jobs at the peak of development. Units 1 and 2 are expected to be on line in the 2011 to 2012 timeframe.

Project ownership is fully subscribed, the necessary permits have been obtained, major equipment has been ordered and engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contractor Bechtel Power Corporation is commencing full-scale construction.

Prairie State is being developed with 21st century technologies, making it among the cleanest U.S. coal-fueled plants with emission rates that are approximately 80 percent lower than existing U.S. power plants.  Even its carbon dioxide emission rate will be approximately 15 percent lower than the typical U.S. coal plant.

Said Peabody President and Chief Executive Officer Gregory H. Boyce: "Prairie State is part of the largest build-out of clean coal plants the United States has seen in more than 25 years, at a time when capacity is becoming scarce. Energy security, economic growth and environmental solutions -- the 3Es -- are core to Prairie State's model of reliable, clean generation for families from Missouri to Virginia."

"The new Prairie State Energy Campus represents the future of clean-coal technology, and Illinois is proud to be leading the way," Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill) said. "This power plant is environmentally sound and will stimulate our state's economy by providing hundreds of new jobs."

"If we are to break our dependence on foreign sources of oil, we must capitalize on our domestic energy assets, and coal is our most abundant energy resource. This project will show that we can utilize Illinois coal, which is good for the environment and the economy," said Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.).

Prairie State will deliver low-cost energy to more than 1.7 million families through a partner group that includes American Municipal Power-Ohio (AMP-Ohio); Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA); Indiana Municipal Power Agency (IMPA); Kentucky Municipal Power Agency (KMPA); Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission (MJMEUC); Northern Illinois Municipal Power Agency (NIMPA); Prairie Power, Inc.; Southern Illinois Power Cooperative (SIPC) and Peabody Energy.

"Our members and partners are pleased to move forward with a state-of-the-art clean coal project that will provide low-cost electricity, billions of dollars of new investments and hundreds of skilled jobs to our home state," said Illinois Municipal Electric Agency General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Ronald D. Earl.

Said Indiana Municipal Power Agency President and Chief Executive Officer Raj G. Rao: "Prairie State will enable us to provide clean, reliable electricity at stable rates for decades to come, which is a tremendous benefit to the communities we serve."

Prairie State will create more than 500 permanent, skilled jobs and will inject nearly $125 million annually into the regional economy.  For a virtual tour of the power plant or to express interest as a job applicant or vendor, please visit http://prairiestateenergycampus.com/.

  CONTACT:
  Derrell Carter
  314-342-7667


DATASOURCE: Prairie State Energy Campus



CONTACT:  Derrell Carter, [phone], for Prairie State Energy

Campus



Web site:  http://prairiestateenergycampus.com/ 

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