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Community Joins Tenaska in Celebration of More than a Decade in Pittsburg County

By October 9, 2014 December 4th, 2019 No Comments

Plant Makes Special Donation to Town of Kiowa in Honor of Milestone

KIOWA, Oklahoma – Employees at Tenaska Kiamichi Generating Station and members of the Pittsburg County community recognized more than a decade of safe, reliable operation at the plant’s 10-year anniversary celebration held at the plant near Kiowa on Thursday evening. In honor of the milestone, Tenaska Kiamichi made a $1,500 donation to the town of Kiowa for new tables and chairs at the senior citizens center.

Approximately 200 elected officials, business and community leaders, local contractors and vendors, and Pittsburg County residents joined the 34 employees and their families.

“Our plants are local businesses first, and the relationships we have with the community are key to our success,” said Jerry Crouse, vice chairman and CEO of Omaha, Nebraska-based Tenaska. “Tenaska Kiamichi strives to work with local leaders to bring benefits to the community while also ensuring the plant remains a competitive business and stable employer.”

Crouse joined Tenaska community relations representatives Ken Battles and Bob Dunson in presenting the gift to Kiowa.

“The donation is actually going to help not just the senior citizens but the community as well. We share a building with the community center, and the money will be used to get new tables and chairs. In the long run, it helps all of us,” said Genice Mabray, director of the Kiowa Nutrition Program, who accepted the donation. Kiowa Nutrition Program runs the senior citizens center.

Other speakers at the celebration included U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and Kiowa Mayor Janelle Beaver.

“I am pleased to be part of the Tenaska Kiamichi Generating Station’s 10th-anniversary celebration, and I extend my congratulations to the dedicated employees there on a job well done,” said Mullin, who delivered the keynote address. “I have toured this facility before and have seen the good work they are doing to not only produce electricity for over 1 million households but also to benefit the local community.”

At the celebration, employees were recognized for their commitment to safe and reliable power generation. More than a dozen awards for safety and innovative practices received over the past decade attest to employees’ commitment. They have been honored by both the National Safety Council and leading trade magazine Combined Cycle Journal.

“Our employees have kept this plant running reliably in the midst of volatile weather conditions and changing market demands,” Crouse said. “That’s important when you consider that this plant has the ability to serve approximately 1.2 million households.”

Fueled by clean-burning natural gas, Tenaska Kiamichi can produce 1,220 megawatts of electricity, which the plant’s power customer, Shell Energy North America (US), L.P., markets throughout the region.

Tenaska Kiamichi is capable of delivering power into two adjacent power grids, the Southwest Power Pool, where the plant is located, and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) via an interconnecting transmission line. That transmission line, developed by Tenaska, was the first to connect a power plant located outside of the state of Texas to the ERCOT grid.

“That interconnecting transmission line was one of the major innovations in our industry when we built it, and it still is today,” Crouse said.

Tenaska Kiamichi was developed, built and is owned by Kiowa Power Partners, LLC, which today is comprised of affiliates of Tenaska, Tyr Energy, Inc. and Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.

Tenaska Kiamichi is a leading taxpayer in Pittsburg County. Through 2013, it has paid more than $21.3 million in property taxes. The plant also annually injects more than $4.4 million into the area economy in the form of salaries and payments to local contractors and vendors.

The plant supports local volunteer fire departments and is a member of the McAlester Chamber of Commerce. Employees volunteered 240 hours in 2013 to support local community and charitable projects. Tenaska Kiamichi and Shell have awarded $88,000 in scholarships to 93 college-bound high school seniors in Pittsburg County to date.

About Kiowa Power Partners, LLC

Kiowa Power Partners, LLC was formed to build, own and operate the Tenaska Kiamichi Generating Station. Affiliates of Tenaska, an energy company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, serve as the managing partner and operator.

Media Contacts:                              

Timberly Ross
Office: 402-691-9517
Mobile: 402-669-4073
tross@tenaska.com

Delette Olberg
Office: 402-691-9595
Mobile: 402-332-9380
dolberg@tenaska.com