Clean energy, economic shot in the arm in Cleco/Cabot project

By CASEY COLLIER
In October of last year, the Central Louisiana Electric Company, Cleco, partnered with the Cabot Corporation, and broke ground on the St. Mary Clean Energy Center at the carbon black facility in Franklin.
Upon completion between April and June of next year, it is purported that the Clean Energy Center will be able to generate 50-megawatts of electricity, enough to provide 17,000 homes with clean, renewable energy.
Using a process called waste heat recovery, the new power plant will capture the heat produced by Cabot’s carbon black facility, turning heat to steam to run a turbine generator, which will generate the electricity. The process will be energy efficient enough to meet the standards of the Louisiana Public Service Commission’s Renewable Energy Pilot Program, making it a renewable resource.
Manager of Public Relations for CLECO Jennifer Cahill said of the project, “We are going to be at a new generation without increasing emissions, which includes carbon. We are taking advantage of an opportunity to create clean power that is reliably generated.”
As far as community job stimulation is concerned, once it is up and running, the Clean Energy Center will employ 12 full-time operators, and will have employed at its peak construction phase, 200 workers at one time. Cabot also intends to add eight full-time positions at the time of the center’s completion.
Apart from affecting local job growth, Cahill cited a projected $2.4 million growth in business sales in St. Mary Parish, with a likely increase of that impact over time. In addition to the $2.4 million in business sales, Cleco is also projecting they will spend $2.8 million in the parish, to operate the plant.
Though the effect of the Center will be economic, Cleco points to its impact on St. Mary Parish being environmental, as well. “It’s three most important points,” Cahill said, “are that it is a clean energy center, it is increasing economic development and it is a good way to plan for the future power needs of our customers while protecting the environment.”