Oglethorpe Power
Encyclopedia
Oglethorpe Power Corporation medium-sized electric utility
in Georgia
, United States
. Formed in 1974, Ogelthorpe is a not-for-profit cooperative
owned by the 39 electric membership corporations that it serves. The utility's headquarters are in Tucker, Georgia
. It is the largest power supply cooperative in the United States
based upon assets and annual kilowatt-hour sales. The utility's service area covers 65 percent of the state of Georgia. However, Georgia Power
is the largest electricity supplier in the state. Ogelthorpe co-own several of its plants with Georgia Power
and the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia. As of 2009, the utility has an annual revenue of $1.2 billion and assets of over $6 billion. In 1997, Ogelthorpe restructured into three separate, but interrelated, cooperatives. Oglethorpe Power Corporation handles electricity generation
, Georgia Transmission Corporation owns and operates the transmission
lines and substations
and Georgia System Operations Corporation provides system and administrative support.
, Oglethorpe's power plants had a combined capacity of 5,790 megawatts. About 23% of the capacity is coal
, 46% natural gas
, 19% nuclear
and 12% hydroelectric power. It owns 633 megawatts of the 848-megawatt Rocky Mountain Hydroelectric Plant, a pure pumped-storage hydroelectric plant that stores energy
during periods of low electricity
demand and produces electricity during periods of high demand. The utility's nuclear power comes from its partial ownership of the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Generating Station and the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant
. It has partial ownership of two coal plants and full ownership of a combined cycle
power plant and several gas turbine
power plants.
Electric utility
An electric utility is a company that engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity for sale generally in a regulated market. The electrical utility industry is a major provider of energy in most countries. It is indispensable to factories, commercial establishments,...
in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Formed in 1974, Ogelthorpe is a not-for-profit cooperative
Utility cooperative
A utility cooperative is a type of cooperative that is tasked with the delivery of a public utility such as electricity, water or telecommunications to its members...
owned by the 39 electric membership corporations that it serves. The utility's headquarters are in Tucker, Georgia
Tucker, Georgia
Tucker is a census-designated place in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 27,581 at the 2010 Census. Although central Tucker, also known as "Main Street Tucker", is laid out as a planned "railroad town," it has never been formally incorporated. Municipal services such as...
. It is the largest power supply cooperative in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
based upon assets and annual kilowatt-hour sales. The utility's service area covers 65 percent of the state of Georgia. However, Georgia Power
Georgia Power
Georgia Power is an electric utility headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is the largest of the four electric utilities that are owned and operated by Southern Company....
is the largest electricity supplier in the state. Ogelthorpe co-own several of its plants with Georgia Power
Georgia Power
Georgia Power is an electric utility headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is the largest of the four electric utilities that are owned and operated by Southern Company....
and the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia. As of 2009, the utility has an annual revenue of $1.2 billion and assets of over $6 billion. In 1997, Ogelthorpe restructured into three separate, but interrelated, cooperatives. Oglethorpe Power Corporation handles electricity generation
Electricity generation
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric energy from other forms of energy.The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday...
, Georgia Transmission Corporation owns and operates the transmission
Electric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
lines and substations
Electrical substation
A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions...
and Georgia System Operations Corporation provides system and administrative support.
, Oglethorpe's power plants had a combined capacity of 5,790 megawatts. About 23% of the capacity is coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, 46% natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
, 19% nuclear
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
and 12% hydroelectric power. It owns 633 megawatts of the 848-megawatt Rocky Mountain Hydroelectric Plant, a pure pumped-storage hydroelectric plant that stores energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
during periods of low electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
demand and produces electricity during periods of high demand. The utility's nuclear power comes from its partial ownership of the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Generating Station and the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant
Vogtle Electric Generating Plant
The Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, also known as Plant Vogtle, is a 2-unit nuclear power plant located in Burke County, near Waynesboro, Georgia...
. It has partial ownership of two coal plants and full ownership of a combined cycle
Combined cycle
In electric power generation a combined cycle is an assembly of heat engines that work in tandem off the same source of heat, converting it into mechanical energy, which in turn usually drives electrical generators...
power plant and several gas turbine
Gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
power plants.