The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

September 13, 2008

Co-Gen officials to hold meeting, provide report

Christian Giggenbach

Western Greenbrier Co-Generation officials say a public meeting will be held to provide a status report on the coal-fired power plant which recently lost its federal funding.

Co-Gen co-manager and chief technical officer Wayne Brown said the meeting will be 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at Western Greenbrier Middle School.

“We are going to give the whole community an overview of the project and any and all questions will be answered,” Brown said by phone Friday. “The management committee of WGC has scheduled the meeting and I will be leading the meeting and answering any and all questions.”

Co-Gen officials announced last week that $100 million in federal funding for the $416 million power plant had been eliminated. Plans for the power plant included using a four-million-ton coal waste site near Rupert as the project’s fuel source.

Brown previously said about $16 million had been spent on the project. The WGC also owes approximately $6 million due to defaulting on loans secured through state agencies and non-payment of services.

David Warner, executive director of the West Virginia Economic Development Authority, previously said the project also defaulted on two state loans worth about $4.2 million, a $500,000 federal loan from a Pittsburgh bank, and also failed to repay $1.3 million in money owed to its first engineering firm, Australian-based Worley Parsons.

The now-defunct power plant was officially owned by the municipalities of Rainelle, Quinwood and Rupert.

However, state officials said the towns will not be held accountable for the money owed.

— E-mail:

cgiggenbach

@register-herald.com

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