POMEROY - Construction and operation of two proposed power plants will contribute $470 million to the economy of southeastern Ohio and support 901 new jobs during a four-year construction period, a study by Ohio State University shows.

The results of the study were announced earlier this week at a presentation in Pomeroy. The study was completed by OSU Economist Greg Davis, with support from Meigs County Commissioners, AEP and the OSU departments of agriculture, environment and development.

The study area included Meigs and the six surrounding counties of Athens, Gallia, Vinton and Washington, and Jackson and Mason counties in West Virginia.

The study indicates the proposed American Electric Power and American Municipal Power-Ohio projects, once they begin actual operation, will add 534 new jobs to the regional economy through direct and indirect positions. Over $272 million of spending will be added annually to the regional economy through direct and value-added impacts.

Proposed coal mining operations would generate an estimated $38 million a year in economic output, when the value of coal mined, manufacturing, health and social services, and retail trade are all considered, the study shows. The study estimates that 173 positions will be created by a new mining operation.

Both AEP and AMP-Ohio are forging ahead with plans to construct their respective IGCC clean-coal power plants in Lebanon and Letart townships. Both are in the permitting stages. Gatling Ohio LLC has applied for a permit to mine coal near Racine in Letart and Sutton Township, presumably to help fuel the two plants.

“These numbers show there will be a lot of opportunities for our existing businesses to grow,” said Meigs County Commission President Mick Davenport.