New Natural Gas Plant Providing Power to Delaware Electric Co-op Members

RISING SUN, Md.- An efficient new natural gas-driven power plant is now producing energy for tens of thousands of Delaware homes. The Wildcat Point plant, located in Rising Sun, Md., became fully operational in April. The state-of-the-art plant is owned and operated by Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) based in Glen Allen, Virginia, which is partially owned by Delaware Electric Cooperative as a member cooperative.

Delaware Electric Cooperative officials took part in a dedication ceremony at the plant on May 8th, celebrating the official end of nearly four years of construction at the facility in Cecil County. Wildcat Point is providing clean, affordable and sustainable energy to members of Delaware Electric Cooperative and ten other nonprofit utilities in Maryland and Virginia.

According to Bill Andrew, President and CEO of Delaware Electric Cooperative, “This new power plant is capable of producing 1,000 megawatts of electricity — that’s enough energy to power about 390,000 homes. Natural gas is also a cleaner source of power than other fossil fuels, meaning Wildcat Point will reduce the Co-op’s carbon footprint.”

The new natural gas plant has also helped to diversify Delaware Electric Cooperative’s portfolio of energy sources, which includes nuclear, coal, natural gas, landfill gas, wind and solar. A portion of the Co-op’s energy also comes from local 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.

The natural-gas driven plant is one of the most efficient power stations in the country, using state-of-the-art turbines ten times as powerful as a C-5 Galaxy military aircraft engine to generate electricity. The project created 600 temporary construction jobs and 30 permanent positions. The project was built in Cecil County next to an existing peaking power plant, which runs during times of peak energy use. Wildcat Point is expected to continue generating power for several decades.

Delaware Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric utility serving 95,000 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.