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Preparations continue for development of the Cobisa Greenville electric generating plant. Pre-construction groundwork includes obtaining permits from the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) and complying with government, insurance, and financial regulations. Permitting and compliance could take 2 to 3 years to complete. Construction of the facility just north of Greenville is expected take another 2 years.
According to the December, 2002 issue of Business Facilities magazine, the power plant is the largest economic development project announced in Texas in 2002, the 4th largest in the nation. The $500 million natural gas fueled generating facility is projected to produce 1,750 MW of electricity for communities across North Texas. Plant construction will create approximately 1400 temporary jobs. Thirty to 60 permanent employees will be hired from across north Texas when the plant goes on line in 2007 or 2008, or sooner.
The Cobisa plant will be one of the cleanest generating facilities in the country, meeting or exceeding all state and federal environmental regulations. The plant will use only a third of the water used by older generating plants in the area and will produce 1/20 the number of pollutants.
A joint effort of the Greenville Board of Development, the City of Greenville, and Hunt County brought the Cobisa project to Greenville. Board of Development Chair Lowell Lawson hailed the project as "a tremendous example of how people with vision and a community with resources can create a project that’s historic, environmentally safe, and beneficial to the citizens."
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