Oct. 23--Electric customers in Cuyahoga Falls, Wadsworth, Hudson, Cleveland and other Ohio communities might be on the hook for power they cannot afford, according to a Sierra Club report released Thursday.

The economics behind American Municipal Power's new coal-burning power plant in Southern Ohio have changed and the $3.3 billion project should be dropped, organizers said in a teleconference.

"It's beyond time for AMP's members to get together and cancel the project before it's too late," said Nachy Kanfer of the Sierra Club in Ohio.

But the Columbus-based wholesale power supplier -- formerly known as AMP-Ohio -- and its 81 participating communities appear to be firmly behind the project.

The project has been thoroughly researched and analyzed, AMP spokesman Kent Carson said. AMP and its members are convinced the plant is the best way to proceed and creates the lowest risk for members.

The criticism, he said, is off-base.

Most of the participating cities have been forced to buy electricity on the more costly spot market. The power from the new plant will keep those costs down, he said.

The project has the strong support of Cuyahoga Falls, city Electric Superintendent Bob Bye said.

The city of Wadsworth is firmly committed to the project and is not second-guessing its decision to back the plant, Service Director Chris Easton said.

The Sierra Club says its new analysis shows that electric demand in Ohio is unlikely to grow because of market trends, the growth in renewable energy and recent federal and state actions to promote energy efficiency.

That would mean participating communities would get stuck paying higher electric rates, the eco-group said. It called on the communities to invest instead in energy efficiency and alternative energy sources.

The 1,000-megawatt plant is expected to begin operations in 2014.

The plant, near Racine in Meigs County, is being funded by the 81 participating communities in Ohio and other states. They will purchase electricity from the plant.

Other local communities involved are Orrville, Seville, Lodi, Brewster and Beach City.

The project has come under fire from several environmental groups. Critics say the plant will contribute to global warming, and they call its anti-pollution system unproven and less effective.

AMP officials said the project will provide affordable and reliable energy to member communities. They defended the Powerspan technology that is being used to clean up pollution.

The plant, with its ammonia-based scrubbing system, will be the cleanest in Ohio and one of the cleanest in the country, the officials said.

AMP operates a coal-fired plant near Marietta, is building a coal-fired plant in Illinois, has a hydroelectric project on the Ohio River and is developing five more, and has a commercial wind farm near Bowling Green.

The report is available at http://www.sierraclub.org/coal/OH.

Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.

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