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RISING SUN, Md.- Construction is underway on a new natural gas-fired power plant in Cecil County Md., which will provide clean, sustainable energy to members of Delaware Electric Cooperative and ten other non-profit utilities in Maryland and Virginia. Co-op officials took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wildcat Point Power Plant on October 14th. The state-of-the-art plant will be owned and operated by Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) based in Glenn Allen, Virginia, which is partially owned by Delaware Electric Cooperative.

Once completed in 2017, the plant will be capable of producing 1,000 megawatts of electricity—enough energy to power 390,000 homes. Wildcat Point is being built near Rising Sun. Md. and has been approved for construction by the Maryland Public Service Commission. The project will create 600 construction jobs and 30 permanent positions in Cecil County.

According to Delaware Electric Cooperative President and CEO Bill Andrew, “The construction of the facility is expected to have a positive impact on members. The plant will provide our members with a sustainable source of energy for years to come. Wildcat Point will likely help to stabilize rates for our members because of its close proximity to Delaware, and could lower the cost of power across the entire Delmarva Peninsula.

The new natural gas plant will also help to diversify Delaware Electric Cooperative’s portfolio of energy sources, which include nuclear, coal, natural gas, landfill gas, wind and solar. Currently, ten percent of the Co-op’s energy comes from renewable sources. DEC owns and operates a 20 acre solar energy farm near Georgetown and is purchasing energy produced at a gas-to-energy facility at the Delaware Solid Waste Authority’s Sandtown, Del. landfill.

Co-op officials said Wildcat Point will be one of the most efficient power plants in the country, and the use of natural gas to produce power will result in a smaller carbon footprint, when compared to producing energy using coal and other traditional fossil fuels.

Delaware Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric utility serving 88,000 member-owners in Kent and Sussex County, Delaware. For more information, visit us on the web at www.delaware.coop or www.beatthepeak.coop or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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