Mississippi Public Service Commission members: Politics played no part in Kemper plant decision
JACKSON, MS — Baseload generation and the virtues of clean coal were not the only players on the roster as the Mississippi Public Service Commission weighed Mississippi Power Co.’s request to build a $2.4-billion coal-fired plant in Kemper County.
The political tug-of-war between economic development interests and ratepayer protection got a lot of playing time, too.
Commissioners voted 2-1 to conditionally approve MPC’s project, with a long list of conditions attached. Chief among those was a cap on the amount the power company could charge ratepayers to construct the facility, and a stipulation that ratepayers couldn’t start picking up the tab until the facility went online.
Miss. Busniess Journal
5/10/10
Magnolia Tribune
