May 20--Santee Cooper will hold an information forum Monday for those who have questions about a proposed $984 million power generation plant to be built along the Great Pee Dee River near Kingsburg in Florence County.

"As part of the process, we are having a very informal information gathering in order to be very open and transparent about the process from the very beginning," Santee Cooper spokeswoman Laura Varn said. "We just want to answer any questions that the community may have about the power plant." After introductory remarks from Santee Cooper officials, attendees will have the opportunity to learn about how the plant would operate. "We will have different stations set up, so if people have any questions about the air ... then they can go (to that station) and get their questions answered. And if people have questions about the land or our green power program, we'll have those (answers) available, too," she said.

"People can go to their area of interest and have their questions answered." Varn said Monday's public forum, which is being held in unison with the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, will be followed by other community meetings and hearings about the plant. "Once a draft permit is issued, there will be a public notice period, and then after that, there will be a public hearing," she said. Varn said many residents are excited about the possibility of a new plant in the area. "We've heard nothing but very favorable local community support for the plant, and we are very appreciative," she said.

Florence County Council voted unanimously May 3 to pass a resolution supporting Santee Cooper's plan for the Kingsburg plant, which would be in councilman Ken Ard's district. "I think the people in the area are extremely excited about the investment that Santee Cooper is making in Florence County," Ard said soon after that council meeting. In addition to plant advocates, however, members of the Coastal Conservation League, an organization that opposes the plant, are expected to attend Monday's meeting. Nancy Cave, North Coast director of the Coastal Conservation League in Georgetown, said members would like for Santee Cooper to hold the meeting in a public dialogue format.

"They will invite people to come up to DHEC and Santee Cooper staff members on a one-on-one basis, which I think is a little unfortunate," Cave said. "We would like to see a public dialogue so that people could hear each other's questions and hear the responses to those questions." Members of the league also said they would like to ask questions about how much carbon dioxide would be emitted by the plant, Cave said. In March, the Southern Environmental Law Center filed a letter of concern with DHEC regarding the plant. Dana Beach, executive director of the Coastal Conservation League, said in a previous interview that the new plant, based on emissions at other coal-fired plants, will release 8.7 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air for each year of the plant's expected 50-year life span.

Varn said in a previous interview that number probably is accurate for a 1,320-megawatt plant. Santee Cooper, however, plans to have a one-unit, 600-megawatt plant in Kingsburg, she said. The utility's other coal-fired plants release about 4 million ton of carbon dioxide a year, she said. The league has criticized Santee Cooper for applying to DHEC for an air permit before holding a forum for the public to offer suggestions for and alternatives to the proposed plant. League members also are planning to ask Santee Cooper about a process the plant could use to reduce greenhouse gas emission, Cave said.

Santee Cooper had expected the Kingsburg plant to go online sometime in 2012. Officials say, however, that they will be about 370 megawatts short of capacity by 2012 and 525 megawatts shy the following year. About one megawatt is sufficient to supply the energy for 500 homes for one year. Santee Cooper bought the 2,700-acre Kingsburg site in the early 1980s. The utility's goal was to build four power-generating units there. About 1,400 acres of the site consists of wetlands. -- Morning News Staff Writers Charles Tomlinson and Jim Newman contributed to this report.