POMEROY - The power plant American Municipal Power-Ohio hopes to build in Letart Township will serve as a “flagship” for the wholesale electricity supplier, the company's president said Friday.

At a press conference in Pomeroy, the non-profit company and two partners unveiled plans for a new plant on 1,300 acres in Letart Township.

The $1.2-billion, 1,000-megawatt coal-fired power plant will use approximately 3 million tons of coal per year, and is designed to meet an increased need for electricity for AMP-Ohio's 110 member communities.

AMP-Ohio has secured options on real estate and plans to pursue other property in the area.

Mark Gerken, president and chief executive officer for AMP-Ohio, said the American Municipal Power Generating Station will serve as the “principal resource” for the company, which also operates the Richard H. Gorsuch Generating Plant in Marietta. AMP-Ohio built and manages the hydroelectric project at Belleville Locks and Dam, across the Ohio River from Reedsville.

In selecting a location for this project, AMP-Ohio looked at 30 sites across the country, and then narrowed the list to nine. River access as a means of transporting coal played a large role in selecting the site, located just outside the community of Letart Falls on Ohio 124.

Gerken said construction of the plant is contingent on the issuance of state and federal permits, including permits from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio Power Siting Board.

He said he expects the permitting process will take at least two years to complete, and sees those permits as the primary hurdle in locating the plant here.

Gerken said the plant will use the latest in clean-coal technology, and will be “one of the cleanest in the country.”

Unlike American Electric Power, which plans to construct its own $1 billion plant in neighboring Lebanon Township, AMP-Ohio is not accountable to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, and is not required to seek approval from the PUCO for its cost recovery plan.

“We feel we will have no problem permitting the plant eventually,” Gerken said, “but public support will be important.”

AMP-Ohio has selected two alternative sites for the facility, both outside Ohio, Gerken said.

AMP-Ohio plans to open an office in Pomeroy to handle real estate concerns and other business associated with the pre-construction process. Pomeroy attorney and County Court Judge Steven L. Story, who serves as local counsel for AMP-Ohio, said the company has small-town sensibilities because of the communities that make up its membership.

“AMP-Ohio is a big company, but it's not run like a huge corporation,” Story said at Friday's press conference. “The leadership of the company come from small communities, and have a small-town mindset. People from small towns are making the decisions, and they understand us.”