Two huge power plants in neighboring Heard County are giving the Coweta County Commission a major headache.

In fact, the commission voted unanimously Tuesday to try and get a stop-work order at the Dynegy Plant under contruction until further studies can be done to evaluate the impact on Coweta County.

The commissioners recently learned that Dynegy is building a 500-megawatt natural gas-fired electric generating plant, just across the line in Heard County.

But six acres of the site lie in Coweta County and are zoned rural resrve, not industrial. Officials from Dynegy approached the Planning Department about using the tract as a construction staging area, but were told the property would have to be rezoned first. The company decided not to seek a rezoning and planted Virginia Pines as a buffer.

Commissioner Jim McGuffey was outraged that the project was approved by Heard County officials without any comments from Coweta residents or officials.

“The citizens have not had an opportunity to voice concerns or objections on a project that will affect their quality of life,” he said.

Heard officials also approved th construction of the Tenaska Generation Station, which will be a 100-megawatt power station, and McGuffey wants the staff to examine the impact of that facility on Coweta County.

Tom Lathem, who lives near the proposed plant, wants to know where the nearly four million gallons of water a day to fuel the plant is going to come from and why people weren't contacted about the facilty.

“Why did the studies stop at the county line?” he said.

Dynegy will sell the power generated at the Heard County Power Project in the wholesale electricity market to investor-owned utilities, electric cooperatives and municipalities when commercial operations begin during the second quarter of 2001.

The capacity of Dynegy's 34 U.S. generation assets currently operating or under construction is more than 7,000 gross megawatts.

Dynegy Inc. is one of the country's leading marketers of energy products and services. Through its leadership position in gathering, processing, transportation, power generation and marketing of energy, the company provides energy solutions to its customers primarily in North America and the United Kingdom, according to company literature.

Some research for this article was found at www.dynegy.com.

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