Officials

of the company whose plans for a power production plant

are causing a raging controversy in Coweta County have

decided to answer questions about the facility.

In a

statement released this week, officials o Dynegy Inc.

assured residents that everything was done properly when

the firm sought to build a plant in neighboring Heard

County.

Coweta

commissioners recently learned that Dynegy is building a

500-megawatt, natural gas-fired electric generating

plant, just across the line in Heard County.

But six

acres of the site lie in Coweta County and are zoned

rural reserve, not industrial. Officials from Dynegy

approached the Planning Department about using the tract

as a construction staging area, but were told the

property would have to be rezoned first. The company

decided not to seek a rezoning and planted Virginia Pines

as a buffer.

When the

details of the plant construction were discovered,

Commissioner Jim McGuffey was outraged that the project

was approved by Heard County officials without any

comments from Coweta residents or officials.

But this

week, company officials sought to end some of the

confusion surrounding the plant.

In a

statement sent to the media, officials talked about what

the company would be producing at the Heard County plant.

"The

plant is a `peaking plant' for producing electric power

during high electricity demand periods, which will help

meet power needs for heating in winter and cooling in

summer," said a written statement from Talmadge

Davis, community representative for Dynegy. "The

project was developed by Tenaska Inc (Tenaska), an

experienced power plant developer. The Tenaska Georgia

Generating Station will have a positive economic impact

on the region, generating jobs and strengthening the

local tax base, in addition to helping meet the peak

power needs in Georgia and the Southeast," said the

statement.

Officials

said the Tenaska facility is approximately one mile north

of Ga. Highway 34 near the intersection of Joe Stephens

and George Brown roads. It is entirely in Heard County on

a site of approximately 140 acres surrounded by a buffer

of trees.

"It is

designed so that more than half of the site remains as

natural green space. Tenaska has worked with the U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers to preserve 44 acres of the site

as permanent wetlands and another 14 acres as permanent

upland forest," said the statement.

Officials

also pointed out the facility will not be operated

year-round.

"As a

peaking plant, it will operate only on certain days, such

as hot and humid days in summer and cold and windy days

in winter, when the demand for electricity rises

sharply," the statement said.

"On

such days, power companies experience high customer

demand and need additional generation capacity to cover

their `peak' needs. The Tenaska facility will be `on

call' to produce power during these high energy, peak

demand times," said the statement from Davis.

The company

also pointed out that many years of research went into

the project.

Officials

said more than two years of detailed work and study were

done by scientists and engineers and, as part of the

process, three public hearings were announced and

conducted in Heard County to discuss zoning, tax status

and air permitting.

The

facility also was designed to meet or exceed all local,

state and federal standards for protection of public

health and the environment, the statement said.

Tenaska has

contracted with the Heard County Water Authority for up

to 500,000 gallons of water per day from its existing

capacity.

The Tenaska

facility must comply with all air emission and discharge

requirements and regulations and has all required

permits, according to Davis.

This

discharge consists of processed water and storm water,

which will discharge into a small tributary of Hilly Mill

Creek in the Chattahoochee River basin.

"Tenaska

Georgia Generating Station provides an important economic

boost to the region while having minimal impact on the

environment," said the statement. "This site

was chosen due to its proximity to existing transmission

lines and natural gas pipelines."

Officials

said the Tenaska facility in Heard County is a $200

million-plus facility and, over its project life, is

expected to result in $25 million of county property tax

and millions of dollars in sales and use tax revenues.

Tenaska believes strongly in good community relations,

Davis said, and at the outset of the project Tenaska

engaged a local community relations representative and

opened an office in Franklin.

Coweta

County officials are still studying the impact of the

facility and considering if they should have been

contacted earlier in the approval process.