Longview Work 90% Complete
Plant expected to be operational next summer
Morgantown Dominion Post
3 September 2010
Longview Power is entering the fourth quarter in the construction of a
$2 billion facility in Monongalia County.
Construction at the new power plant is 90 percent complete, General
Manager Charlie Huguenard said. The company has spent $1.7 billion so
far to build the plant.
Longview Power is being built on Fort Martin Road. When complete, it is
expected to produce 695 megawatts of electricity.
During the last month, an average of 1,600 people worked on the
facility, Huguenard said. At the peak this year, 2,000 people worked on
the construction site.
When the plant is operational, it will have a staff of 100.
Staff has already been testing some of the 275 systems, Huguenard said.
They need to make sure systems work before the plant becomes
operational. Huguenard estimated 60 percent of the conversion systems
have been tested.
Early next year, Huguenard said, they are planning for the “first
fire.” This is the first time they put fuel in the boiler.
They will try natural gas before switching to coal.
Huguenard said he anticipates the plant to be fully operational next
summer.
The completion date is later than initially planned, Huguenard said,
due to construction delays and other holdups.
He said his background is in operations, and after watching three years
of construction, he is excited to generate power.
“I’m ready to operate the plant,” Huguenard said.