MORE POWER

Southeast Missouri State University's power play has generated plenty of electricity.

University officials said the $7 million spent over the past few years on improvements to the campus power plant and electrical distribution system has been well worth it.

Since Jan. 13, the university has generated much of its electrical power, reducing the amount of electricity it must buy from AmerenUE.

Southeast expects net savings of about $300,000 annually, said Al Stoverink, the university's facilities management director.

Stoverink directs a department that includes the power plant.

He said the system greatly improves the reliability of the power system on campus, eliminating the need for power curtailments that have been common in past years.

"We won't have to put lights out and power down buildings," said Stoverink.

The university's ability to generate much of its own power also gives the school more options should Missouri deregulate the power industry, he said.

The university even has had discussions with AmerenUE about possibly selling excess power back to the utility company at some point.

Southeast used to generate some electricity to help power the campus. But the steam turbine was used only sporadically in the late 1970s and through the 1980s.

In recent years, the university quit generating electricity. Its turbine needed to be upgraded.

The refurbished turbine can generate more than 6 megawatts of electricity. Peak demand can be around 6,000 kilowatts an hour. But the normal power load is around 4,200 kilowatts an hour, Stoverink said.

Since the turbine was powered up, the university has generated varying amounts of power.

Currently, the steam turbine generates about 75 percent of the electricity needed on campus. The university buys the rest from AmerenUE, currently around 1,000 kilowatts an hour.

Eventually, the university hopes to lower its purchased power to around 500 or 600 kilowatts an hour, said Dan Mattingly, plant manager.

Stoverink said the university could generate all of its own power. But the school continues to buy some power from the local utility company to allow for a smooth flow of electricity should the campus power plant have to be shut down for repairs.

Planning for the improvements started about five years ago with the hiring of a consulting firm to study the feasibility of the university generating electricity to meet some of its power needs.

The engineering firm of Lutz, Daily and Brain of Overland, Kan., spent a year on the study.

Consultants estimated the university could save a minimum of $5.84 million over 20 years if it generates its own electricity.

Southeast annually pays $1.14 million a year for electricity, and sewer and water services. Most of that cost is for electricity purchased from AmerenUE.

Southeast's power plant uses low-sulfur coal, about 10,000 tons a year. The university spends about $644,000 a year on coal.

The university's coal-fired boilers are used to generate steam for the campus' heating and air-conditioning systems.

Because of renovations to two boilers and the refurbishing of a steam turbine, Southeast also is using the steam to generate electricity.

Generating electricity will mean added fuel and maintenance costs.

The university may see its annual coal use double or triple, said Jim Daume, who supervises campus utility operations.

Still, the expected net savings of $300,000 a year will more than make up for the added costs, Stoverink and Daume said.

AmerenUE officials said the company has a policy against commenting on the financial impact of power sales to any single customer.

But officials said the utility company, with annual revenue of $3.3 billion, can always find a market for its power.

Over the last three years, the university has replaced an aging electrical switch yard with modern switching equipment, upgraded the distribution system, and renovated two boilers and the steam turbine generator.

The power plant improvements alone cost from $4.5 million to $5 million, Stoverink said.

The electrical distribution improvements involved installation of parallel power lines so that electricity could be distributed to both the north and south ends of the campus through either of two feeder lines.