HOPE – A unique local employer that is part of a nationwide energy company is the Hope Public School District “Manufacturer of the Month” for November.\r\n
\r\nSouthwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO), an AEP company, is the principal owner of the John W. Turk, Jr., Power Plant at Fulton, the first “ultra-supercritical” generating unit in the United States. The plant is located in Hempstead County near Fulton, and went into commercial operation in December, 2012.\r\n
\r\nOperating at a 600 megawatt capacity, the $1.8 billion power plant employs 109 SWEPCO personnel, generating an annual payroll of $9 million into the southwest Arkansas economy, according to AEP.\r\n
\r\nDavid Roberts, SWEPCO energy production superintendent, a 33-year employee of the company, and Dustin Freeman, SWEPCO principal plant system operator, a seven-year employee, will represent the company in presentations Friday at Hope High School. \r\n
\r\nSWEPCO Senior Communications Consultant Karen Wissing explained the intended visit with Noble Impact program students at HHS.\r\n
\r\n“I’ll tell the students about the variety of career options at SWEPCO; David and Dustin will talk specifically about the plant and power plant basics,” Wissing said.\r\n
\r\nShe said a computer-based simulation of operations at the Turk Plant will allow students to get a hands-on perspective of operating equipment at the power plant.\r\n
\r\nTurk Plant provides power to wholesale customers in Arkansas, as well as wholesale and retail customers in Louisiana and Texas, according to AEP. \r\n
\r\nSWEPCO, based in Shreveport, La., is the wholesale power provider for the Hope Water and Light Corp. system in Hope.\r\n
\r\nThe “ultra-supercritical” steam generation process utilized at Turk provides increased efficiencies in power generation that reduces fuel consumption, solid waste, water use, and operating costs, according to AEP.\r\n
\r\nAbout Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO)\r\n
\r\nSWEPCO, an American Electric Power (AEP: NYSE) company, serves 535,000 customers in western Arkansas, northwest and central Louisiana, northeast Texas and the Texas Panhandle. SWEPCO’s headquarters are in Shreveport, La. News releases and other information about SWEPCO can be found at SWEPCO.com.\r\n
\r\nAbout American Electric Power (AEP)\r\n
\r\nAmerican Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP’s more than 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 219,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 32,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 4,300 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP’s family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide.\r\n
