A Diversified Portfolio
“Diversify your portfolio.” It’s a savvy practice when it comes to managing investments, keeping a variety of different assets to reduce risk.
It’s also a savvy practice when it comes to wholesale power: maintaining varied generation resources to deliver reliable and affordable electricity. The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas call this strategy the Balance of Power.
To fulfill our primary mission of providing 1,200,000 electric cooperative members with Reliable, Affordable, and Responsible electricity, Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation (AECC), the generation and transmission cooperative for the 17 local electric distribution cooperatives in Arkansas, possesses a diversified fleet of power generation facilities, from coal and natural gas to hydro and solar. In addition, AECC has Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for wind, solar, and hydro power.
I’m very proud of AECC and the diversity of the portfolio we have because it leads to reliable and affordable power for our members. As other utilities concentrate on building non-fossil facilities and shutting down coal, AECC believes all power generation resources are important for a secure and reliable future. We have a diverse portfolio… That mix says we’re not all fossil fuels; we’re not all wind and solar; we’re all for something that makes sense for a sustainable future. We don’t put all our eggs in 1 basket. – Jonathan Oliver, AECC Chief Operations Officer
Understanding Megawatts
The “eggs” here are megawatts (MW). MW is a unit for measuring power:
- 1 megawatt = 1,000 kilowatts
- On a yearly average, 1,000 kilowatts is typically enough electricity for the instantaneous demand of approximately 250 homes at any given time
What follows is a list of AECC’s generation facilities by type, with a lot of numbers. The most significant numbers here are the MW capabilities, the power production.
Notice that dispatchable resources, like coal and natural gas, are the workhorses that can produce dependable and large amounts of power over extended periods of time. But due to federal regulations, some of the most reliable and most affordable plants are being forced into retirement. Proposed federal rules to reduce carbon emissions with unrealistic and unachievable timelines would further reduce available dispatchable generation resources.
While wind and solar are an important part of a balanced energy portfolio, they are intermittent, weather-dependent resources. They only generate when the sun shines and the wind blows.
Coal
These plants use low-sulfur coal mined in Wyoming.
Flint Creek Power Plant
- Location: Gentry
- Operating since: 1978
- Capacity: 528 MW
- AECC ownership: 50%
Independence Steam Electric Station
- Location: Near Newark
- Operating since: 1983 (Unit 1) and 1984 (Unit 2)
- Capacity: 1,678 MW
- AECC ownership: 35%
- Note: Will be required to cease operations in 2030
John W. Turk, Jr. Power Plant
- Location: Fulton
- Operating since: 2012
- Capacity: 624 MW
- AECC ownership: 73 MW
White Bluff Steam Electric Station
- Location: Redfield
- Operating since: 1980 (Unit 1) and 1981 (Unit 2)
- Capacity: 1,659 MW
- AECC ownership: 35%
- Note: Will be required to cease operations in 2028
Hydroelectric
These run-of-the-river hydroelectric plants are powered by the Arkansas River and are 100% owned by AECC.
Carl S. Whillock Hydroelectric Generating Station
- Location: Near Morrilton
- Operating since: 1993
- Capacity: 32.4 MW
Clyde T. Ellis Hydroelectric Generating Station
- Location: Barling
- Operating since: 1988
- Capacity: 32.4 MW
Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas Hydropower Generating Station
- Location: Near Dumas
- Operating since: 1999
- Capacity: 102.6 MW
Natural Gas
These natural gas plants are 100% owned by AECC.
Elkins Generating Station
- Location: Elkins
- Operating since: 2010
- Capacity: 60 MW
Fulton CT1 Generating Station
- Location: Fulton
- Operating since: 2001
- Capacity: 153 MW
Harry L. Oswald Generating Station
- Location: Wrightsville
- Operating since: 2003
- Capacity: 548 MW
John L. McClellan Generating Station
- Location: Camden
- Operating since: 1972
- Capacity: 134 MW
- Note: Natural gas is the primary fuel, with fuel oil used for backup
Magnet Cove Generating Station
- Location: Near Malvern
- Operating since: 2006
- Capacity: 800 MW
Thomas B. Fitzhugh Generating Station
- Location: Ozark
- Operating since: 1963 (Unit 1) and 2003 (Unit 2)
- Capacity: 170.6 MW
- Note: Natural gas is the primary fuel, with fuel oil used for backup
Solar
This array is 100% owned by AECC.
Woodruff County Solar
- Location: Near Augusta
- Capacity: 122 MW
- Note: AECC’s first utility-scale solar project.