Covington Electric Cooperative is a distribution cooperative which means we do not generate the power we deliver. We purchase electricity through our wholesale power provider PowerSouth Energy Cooperative. PowerSouth’s Central Generation Plant located in Gantt, Ala., is featured above on this page.
A Changing Energy Landscape
Our number one priority at Covington Electric is delivering reliable electricity to the people who count on us to power their homes and businesses around the clock. Electricity is an essential part of daily life, so it’s important that electric rates are affordable.
Nearly 57 percent of your electric bill covers the cost of generating power. To help keep the cost of energy affordable, we partner with other electric cooperatives and municipal electric systems through our wholesale power provider, PowerSouth. This allows us to pool resources to maintain an economical and reliable mix of energy 24/7/365.
Today’s energy mix
CEC’s responsibility to our members and community is to safely provide electricity, at a price our members can afford and with minimal effect to our environment. In keeping with these commitments, we use a diverse mix of generating resources (fossil fuels, renewables, and, soon, nuclear). Having multiple generating resources protects our members from unpredictable changes in the cost of fuels used to operate power plants.
Currently, our energy mix consists of natural gas (84%), coal (7.6%), nuclear (3.4%), hydroelectric (3%) and renewables (2%). With energy from the new Unit 3 at the Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant in Georgia, PowerSouth can purchase 125 megawatts of the carbon-free, zero-emission electricity. Adding nuclear energy to our power supply mix helps support our ability to supply uninterrupted power to our members at an affordable cost. Nuclear is a safe and reliable, “always-on” power source that promotes diversity of PowerSouth’s energy portfolio heading into the future.
The majority of our electricity is generated by fossil fuels like natural gas because it allows us to provide large amounts of energy at an economical cost around the clock. Natural gas is a reliable, clean-burning and cost-effective fuel source, and PowerSouth operates state-of-the-art power plants in Gantt, Leroy and McIntosh, Alabama. When it comes to renewable energy sources, hydroelectric generation, large-scale solar farms and landfill gas-to-energy make up a percentage of today’s energy mix. Hydroelectricity was PowerSouth’s first generation resource and for 70 years has proven to be a reliable portion of the generating fleet. Landfill gas from the Springhill Regional Landfill near Campbellton, Florida, provides enough green energy for approximately 4,000 homes.
The long-term power supply plan includes implementing cutting-edge technology, the new natural gas generating plant (Lowman Energy Center) and a new utility-scale solar project in Wing, Ala. The Lowman Center is a natural gas combined cycle power plant that is among the most technologically advanced, efficient and environmentally sound generating plants in the country. It has the ability to serve the around-the-clock energy needs of more than 300,000 homes per year. The Wing Solar Farm is adding enough solar-generated energy to PowerSouth’s mix to power a portion of the energy needs of more than 13,200 homes. While solar is a welcome addition, it’s important to remember that is has limitations, only producing electricity when the sun shines. Adding solar generation promotes diversity of our energy mix but also presents challenges because of its intermittent nature. We will continue to rely on traditional generating sources like natural gas to ensure a reliable energy supply 24/7/365.
It’s projected by 2026, PowerSouth’s its energy mix will consist of natural gas (77.0%), nuclear (10.7%), coal (6.4%), and renewables such as hydro, landfill gas and solar (5.9%).
Our commitment to you
While the energy landscape is shifting, CEC’s commitment to delivering reliable and affordable power remains unchanged. The decisions we make now will affect future generations, so we strive to make choices that will ensure we can provide reliable, affordable electricity for years to come.
To learn more about PowerSouth, please visit them online at www.powersouth.com. You can also read about PowerSouth’s Power Supply Data Sheet.