I am subscribed to Google News Alerts for "Longview Power" and recently received alerts for what is essentially the same article by the same author in three different news outlets.

The first is August 8, 2008 Charleston Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.com/Business/200808070355 . The other two are
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewarticle+articleid_2491731.html and http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1515457/mammoth_power_plant_taking_shape/   .

It says Longview is a "sprawling" complex and "... the 10,000 tons of steel used in the boiler building and the 2,800 tons in the turbine deck were made and fabricated in China, shipped to Houston, then trucked overland to the construction site."

How many West Virginia workers were in China for the fabrication, I wonder?

Longview Power's general manager Charlie Huguenard claims that the project "is ahead of schedule and on budget. "  I suppose that depends on which schedule and which budget you choose.   .... certainly not the $940 million plant that will be online in 2007 budget and schedule we were told originally. 

Duane sent out a July 30, 2008 letter to this list from Longview's attorney (Leonard Knee) to the WV Public Service Commission that said,

Longview is about 40% complete with the construction of the Power Plant. Most of the foundations have been constructed, and steel erection is well under way. To date, Longview has spent about $770 million of the anticipated $1.8 billion construction cost, About 550 craft workers are currently employed.  By the end of the year, approximately 1500 craft workers will be working, with the number growing to about 2000 craft workers in 2009. Plant construction is ahead of schedule, and the plant is on track to be operational in the last quarter of 2010.

It will be interesting to see if there ever will be 1,500 or 2,000 workers on that site.  Nothing else they have said has come to pass.  The photos in the article show the steel frame.  A resident of the Fort Martin Community pointed out to me that no equipment (boilers, etc.) is on site, and wonders how the large equipment will be squeezed into the erected steel frame if it ever does get on site.  Apparently, power plants are usually built one floor at a time with the equipment being installed as they go up with the steel.  It doesn't look 40% done.

The coal is apparently all coming out of Pennsylvania and will be delivered to the site by a 4+ mile conveyor and by truck.  I assume there will be no WV severance tax on that coal (?).  How does that work?

- paula