Now that Harlingen has announced that its plans for a 690-megawatt electric power plant has received the approval from federal and state environmental, where does the justification for Brownsville and the Public Utilities Board announcement to build a plant in north Brownsville stand?
City and Coronado Ventures officials s have given approval for a 690-megawatt electric power plant to be built just east of Valley International Airport, developers announced Wednesday.
This is in addition to the gas-fired plant that the same company, Coronado Ventures, wants to build in Hidalgo County and which has received approval from the Edinburg, Texas city council to construct. That plant is designed to generate another 700 MW of electricity using natural gas. The city’s 10-year incentive package allows Coronado, under a limited liability corporate called Edinburg Power, to invest $650 million to construct a natural gas power plant in Edinburg.
Construction is expected to take three years and will create about 500 construction jobs, according to a news release from the city of Edinburg. Once operational, the facility will employ 30 full-time workers.
Construction is expected to take three years and will create about 500 construction jobs, according to a news release from the city of Edinburg. Once operational, the facility will employ 30 full-time workers.
The Harlingen plant, which Mayor Chris Boswell said was a "huge deal," is described as a half-billion-dollar capital investment, about a quarter of that city's existing taxable assessed valued.
“It’s just going to be a great thing for our city and our region because it’s going to bring in between 650 and 800 jobs over the next two to three years in the construction alone," he told the Valley Morning Star. "About 30 to 35 high-paying engineering jobs will be created after construction is completed.”
La Paloma Energy Center in Harlingen will cost more than $500 million and take about 2 1/2 years to build, a spokeswoman for Plano-based Coronado Power Ventures said. It will be located on an 80-acre site just east of Harlingen, according to a Coronado press release.
La Paloma Energy Center in Harlingen will cost more than $500 million and take about 2 1/2 years to build, a spokeswoman for Plano-based Coronado Power Ventures said. It will be located on an 80-acre site just east of Harlingen, according to a Coronado press release.
The primary contractor of the plant will be world-renown Bechtel but the company assert that 90 percent of the labor and subcontractors used on the project will be from South Texas.
“Bechtel is really noteworthy around the world for who they are,” Boswell said of the international engineering and development firm.
“Bechtel is really noteworthy around the world for who they are,” Boswell said of the international engineering and development firm.
The goal?
According to John Upchurch, La Paloma Energy Center’s manager, having "successfully completed all our key environmental reviews (we) look forward to providing much needed low cost, reliable, clean energy to the region.”
Like Brownsville's planned announced project with Tenaska, Boswell said the project will be a major economic boost and should draw more industry and development to the area.
“We know that we need more access to electric power in South Texas and there is going to be continued demand as the area expands. … It’s valuable to us to attract industry that wants to know there is a reliable power source here,” the mayor said.
“We know that we need more access to electric power in South Texas and there is going to be continued demand as the area expands. … It’s valuable to us to attract industry that wants to know there is a reliable power source here,” the mayor said.
Boswell said the electric output of the Harlingen plant will supply the needs of up to 700,000 homes. "Because you have that facility in this area, it’s definitely going to help us attract industry.”
The Edinburg power plant - as the one planned for in Brownsville - is not as far along in the development process.
Yet to be obtained are the state and federal approval of the environmental plans. Already, power that will be produced at the Harlingen plant is being sold on a wholesale basis to municipal and South Texas electric cooperatives, Boswell said.
And yes, even if the Brownsville PUB and Mayor Tony Martinez keep their hand close to their vests and refuse to say what the terms for the construction agreement are to the ratepayers, Coronado Power and Harlingen officials are making no bones that they are seeking tax abatements from Cameron County and Texas Southmost College, whose boundaries do not extend into Harlingen.
So far, Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos said he did not know the status of those abatement applications.
If - as Boswell claims - the Harlingen plant will deliver enough electricity to provide the needs of 700,000 homes with 690 MWs of electricity, the Edinburg plant another 350,000 with 700 MW and the Brownsville plant at 800 MW (the 200 MWs that belong to the PUB) - when and if it comes on line - another 100,000 homes around the area, where will you get the customers to buy the surge in electrical output?
If you multiply the average household in South Texas of 3.5 persons times by the number of new households to be served by these three plants (1,150,000), that will give you a population of 4,025,000.
Guess what? The current population in the three-county area being served by the existing municipal utilities, coops, and private companies totals 1,204,831 according to the 2010 U.S. Census. And that's not even operating at their maximum capacity.
Once the plants come online in the next two or three years, there will actually be a surplus of electricity - enough to serve an additional population of 2,820,169 - or more than twice the existing population of the three counties on top of those already being served by the existing sources.
Want to think this thing through again before you plunk down our $200 million share with Tenaska, Yer'Honner?
If you multiply the average household in South Texas of 3.5 persons times by the number of new households to be served by these three plants (1,150,000), that will give you a population of 4,025,000.
Guess what? The current population in the three-county area being served by the existing municipal utilities, coops, and private companies totals 1,204,831 according to the 2010 U.S. Census. And that's not even operating at their maximum capacity.
Once the plants come online in the next two or three years, there will actually be a surplus of electricity - enough to serve an additional population of 2,820,169 - or more than twice the existing population of the three counties on top of those already being served by the existing sources.
Want to think this thing through again before you plunk down our $200 million share with Tenaska, Yer'Honner?
9 comments:
All this redundancy illustrates the inability or unwillingness of local governments in the RGB to cooperate and work together....another example of the "La Jaiba" culture that exists here. Everyone feels that cooperation and compromise is a sign of weakness....thus progress is stunted. Since McAllen and Hidalgo county seem more willing to invest in their own communities and Cameron County is not, all the good stuff seems to be going up the valley. Brownsville and Cameron County are poor and growth seems to depend on playing the "pobricito" or welfare card and waiting for government to "give" something. Brownsville citizens don't seem to be willing to invest in this community or are not willing to invest due to the lack of leadership and the rampant corruption. There is an old military training adage "cooperate and graduate".....that adage has failed to take root among local leaders and governments.
If Eva Arambula is MarinArambula's sister?
They why would Enrique Escobedo not abstain when giving her the RVG MultiBank Small Dollar Lending?
Is it because Martin Arambula had already voted at the Port to give Enrique Escobedo the 3million security system contract?
Eva Arambula-Woodfin
Rio Grande Valley Multibank Corporation
Small Dollar Loan Coordinator
If you want to complain about the City, County, BISD, Port just do a complain at:
http://www.ethics.state.tx.us/
http://www.sos.state.tx.us/
To file a complaint form:
http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/contact.shtml
http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/contact.shtml
You got to be patient, these entities take a few years to gather evidence, or stop by the Brownsville FBI office and ask for the
OFFICER OF THE DAY.
http://www.fbi.gov/
This is how they got AL Capone,
when all else fails IRS is the Key.....
http://www.irs.gov
ON THE PUBLIC COMMENT ON SOME CONTRACTORS,,DAVID IVORY USE TO BE THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR,AND HE FORM A COMPANY BY THE NAME OF 'public works corp'HE IS THE carga maletas,picador,rascaespaldas,mamador,elasmepiojito.de charlie cabler,le dan conratos y usa las maquinas de la cuidad para hacer los trabajos,pero tambien es asesor del basurero y gana como 5000 mensuales.seria bueno darle una checada.
juan 4 million population more electricuty need? dont be neagtive, they will srick it to us anyqay some way some how. let my cpmpadres make their money and share their pie with me thats the mode of operation here in the valley. the folks people, voters dont have a voice here. puro chorizo, chief
Tony the big shmuck, does not want to cooperate with other entities, he wants to make his own deal to help himself and his buddies, and we thought that because he had money he was not going to be corrupt, what a desapiontment, he is worst than any small time crook, he thinks big, God help us!
otra chorizada para la gente pobre, they have no voice or say so in this desmadre de el honneezer mayor tony martinez aka el mojon. yes we rhought it would be better cuz he's got money but boy were we all wrng on that one, no ese amigo or compadre de limas by any chance
Why is enrique escobedo like Ernie Hernandez getting their security company, Printing company, Landscaping contracts, Vending Machine CONTRACTS AWARDED from their friends at the Port, County, BISD, City?
Is this a conflict of interest?
Why is enrique escobedo like Ernie Hernandez getting their security company, Printing company, Landscaping contracts, Vending Machine CONTRACTS AWARDED from their friends at the Port, County, BISD, City?
Is this a conflict of interest?
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