POMEROY - The proposed coal-fired power plant for Letart Falls will be the “flagship” of American Municipal Power (AMP) of Ohio according to its representatives that spoke to a packed house at yesterday's business minded luncheon of the Meigs County Chamber of Commerce held at the Wild Horse Cafe.

Jolene Thompson and Kent Carson of AMP-Ohio gave chamber members a progress report and update on the plant.

Thompson reported that at this time AMP-Ohio was involved in the regulatory processes of bringing the plant to Meigs County, including preparing to file for the proper permits in the next few months and throughout 2006. This permit process will include a public meeting similar to the one recently held by American Electric Power at Southern Elementary. That public meeting has not yet been scheduled.

Some core drilling has already taken place on the 1400 acre site in Letart Falls. This week residents may notice work going on along the river to survey what may become the barge facility and water intake area. In the next two to three weeks an archeological and historical survey will take place.

Thompson said nothing has so far been found to impede the progress of the proposed plant being built in Meigs County.

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2008 and the plant is due to go online in 2012.

Once the permit process is complete AMP-Ohio will know what kind of coal the plant will burn and what technologies they will use to burn it. It is estimated the plant would burn 300 million tons of coal a year.

Thompson also announced that AMP-Ohio will be opening an office in Pomeroy on April 6 that will be staffed part-time. AMP-Ohio is leasing the office space from Farmers Bank on West Main Street. An open house reception will be scheduled in the spring.

Possibly available next month will be a regional economic impact study by AMP-Ohio though yesterday Thompson speculated that the plant may have a $20 million impact on the local economy.

Thompson encouraged feedback from the community on the $1.2 billion power plant and thanked community members for their “gracious” reception.

The chamber presentation was meant to keep the lines of communication open between AMP-Ohio and the community.

Thompson said AMP-Ohio made the decision to build its own coal-fired power plant to have “control over our own destiny” and provide the company with an asset that would in turn contribute to providing municipal power to 360,000 customers in four states.