A 693-megawatt power plant has officially begun operations in Leroy.

The Lowman Energy Center, a product of a partnership between PowerSouth Energy Cooperative and Mitsubishi Power, celebrated the milestone Monday.

The plant, operated by PowerSouth, holds one of Mitsubishi’s most advanced air-cooled gas turbine, the M501JAC. Mitsubishi has said that it will provide service and maintenance for the turbine under a long term service agreement.

PowerSouth President & CEO Gary Smith praised the technology that Mitsubishi has contributed and discussed what he thinks the plant will achieve going into the future.

“Technology in this industry is moving quickly, but we’re on the cutting edge of these advances,” Smith said. “We’re proud to be in a position to use the latest high-efficiency technology from Mitsubishi Power to support our members and the people they serve.

“At maximum output, the LEC offers 693 megawatts of reliable, around the clock power that will meet the needs of our distribution members for decades.”

“That capability is important to our enduring mission of reliability and affordability which are being challenged by a rapid push toward intermittent, renewable generation,” he continued. “LEC is vital to our ability to keep the lights on.”

Bill Newsom, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Power Americas, said the LEC will provide a higher standard of cleaner power than the coal-fired power plant that the center is replacing.

“The Lowman Energy Center is yet another example of how cooperatives and utilities alike are recognizing the need for advanced, cleaner power generation technology to meet the needs of their members and customers,” he said.

“At Mitsubishi Power, we have the technology to support this transition and we thank PowerSouth for choosing us for this important project.”

Due to the LEC utilizing excess heat to boil water for the steam turbine unit, energy can be captured that would have normally been wasted which results in lower greenhouse gas emissions and a more efficient plant.

Construction on the new plant, which can reportedly power 300,000 homes annually, began in 2020. It is designed to support the growing energy needs of PowerSouth’s distribution members in Alabama and Northwest Florida using cleaner, more efficient natural gas technology.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.