Oglethorpe Power Corporation is a medium-sized electric utility in Georgia, United States. Formed in 1974, Oglethorpe is a not-for-profit cooperative owned by the 38 electric membership corporations that it serves. The utility's headquarters are in Tucker, Georgia.

Oglethorpe Power Corporation
Company typeCooperative
IndustryElectric utility
Founded1974
Area served
Georgia, United States
Key people
  • Michael L. Smith (President and CEO)
  • Jami G. Reusch (Vice President, Human Resources)
  • Heather H. Telihet (Senior Vice President, External Affairs)
  • Annalisa M. Bloodworth (Senior Vice President and General Counsel)
  • William F. Ussery (Executive Vice President, Member Relations)
  • David W. Sorrick (Executive Vice President and COO)
  • Elizabeth B. Higgins (Executive Vice President and CFO)
ProductsElectricity generation and transmission
Revenue$1 billion (2011)
Total assets$7 billion (2011)
Members38 electric membership corporations
Websitehttps://www.opc.com

History

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In 1935, the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) provided loans for building transmission lines in rural areas, and EMCs were created in Georgia to purchase power from various sources. In 1974, 39 Georgia-based EMCs incorporated Oglethorpe Power Corporation to invest in generating capacities and transmission lines.[1]

In 1996, Oglethorpe Power signed a 15-year, $4–5 billion deal with LG&E to receive half of its electricity needs from the Kentucky-based power supplier, with a locked down price on the coal-fired megawatt that LG&E must maintain.[2]

In 1997, Ogelthorpe restructured into three separate, but interrelated, cooperatives. Oglethorpe Power Corporation handles electricity generation, Georgia Transmission Corporation owns and operates the transmission lines and substations and Georgia System Operations Corporation provides system and administrative support.[1]

In September 2008, Oglethorpe Power announced the construction of a massive woody biomass power plant (two 100-megawatt-per-year, carbon-neutral facilities) to power nearly half of Georgia's population.[3]

In 2017, the turmoil surrounding the failed deliveries of nuclear reactors by bankrupted Westinghouse put Oglethorpe Power at the forefront of the country's nuclear crisis.[4]

Activity

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Oglethorpe Power is the largest power supply cooperative in the United States based upon assets and annual kilowatt-hour sales. The utility's service area covers 65 percent of the state of Georgia. Ogelthorpe co-owns several of its plants with Georgia Power (largest electricity supplier in the state) and the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia.

Oglethorpe's power plants has an annual revenue of $1 billion and assets of over $7 billion, and 4.1 million customers (2011).[1] About 24% of the capacity is coal, 47% natural gas, 19% nuclear and 10% hydroelectric power (2009).[1]

Oglethorpe Power owns 817 megawatts of the 1,095-megawatt Rocky Mountain Hydroelectric Plant, a pure pumped-storage hydroelectric plant that stores energy during periods of low electricity demand and produces electricity during periods of high demand. The utility's nuclear power comes from its partial ownership of the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Generating Station and the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant. It has partial ownership of two coal plants and full ownership of 3 combined cycle power plants and several gas turbine power plants.

Oglethorpe is a 30% partner in the project to build two new AP1000 nuclear reactors at Vogtle, and has $3 billion of Department of Energy loan guarantees for the project. In 2018 it sought more loan guarantees to cover cost overruns on the project.[5][6] Lead partner Georgia Power agreed to pay an additional proportion of any project completion costs beyond $9.2 billion.[7]

Governance

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There is a board of directors that has directors and managers from EMCs (Electric Membership Cooperative) and an independent director. There is also the Leadership, which has a President, a vice president, Senior Vice Presidents, and Executive Vice Presidents.[8]

Leadership

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Michael L. Smith President and chief executive officer[9]
Jami G. Reusch Vice President, Human Resources
Heather H. Telihet Senior Vice President, External Affairs
Annalisa M. Bloodworth Senior Vice President and General Counsel
William F. Ussery Executive Vice President, Member Relations
David W. Sorrick Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Elizabeth B Higgins Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Board of directors

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Marshall S. Millwood[10] Chairman, Sawnee EMC
James I. White Vice Chairman, Snapping Shoals EMC
George L. Weaver Central Georgia EMC
Randy Crenshaw Irwin EMC, Middle Georgia EMC
Fred A. McWhorter Rayle EMC
Ernest A. “Chip” Jakins III Jackson EMC
Jeffrey W. Murphy Hart EMC
Sam Simonton Walton EMC
Danny Nichols Colquitt EMC
Horace H. Weathersby III Planters EMC
Jimmy G. Bailey Diverse Power
Wm. Ronald Duffey Outside Director

References

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  1. ^ a b c d John Campbell (8 March 2016). "Oglethorpe Power Corporation". Georgiaencyclopedia.org. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  2. ^ Flowers, Edward B. (1998). U.S. Utility Mergers and the Restructuring of the New Global Power Industry. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 109. ISBN 9781567201635.
  3. ^ Anna Austin (20 October 2008). "Plethora of wood-to-energy projects underway". Biomassmagazine.com.
  4. ^ Peter Maloney (12 April 2017). "Westinghouse bankruptcy could grind US nuclear sector to a halt". Utilitydive.com. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  5. ^ "Vogtle progress rests on Oglethorpe vote". World Nuclear News. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  6. ^ "Fate of 8 Billion U.S. Nuclear Project Is Down to 'Game of Chicken'". Bloomberg. 26 September 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  7. ^ "Vogtle owners vote to continue construction". World Nuclear News. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  8. ^ "About Our Company". Oglethorpe Power. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Oglethorpe Power at a Glance, p4" (PDF). Oglethorpe Power. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Board of Directors - About Our Company". Oglethorpe Power. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
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