PowerSouth Energy Cooperative Expands Lowman Energy Center Additional Mitsubishi Power Advanced Class Gas Turbine to Be Added

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  The rapid increase in energy demand, coupled with the decrease in surplus available energy, led PowerSouth to make the decision to expand the Lowman Energy Center (LEC).
• This is Mitsubishi Power's second advanced, high-efficiency M501JAC gas turbine to operate at the LEC.
• Burns & McDonnell will provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services.
• Thanks to the additional power of the new gas turbine (LEC 3), the LEC will bring more than 1 gigawatt (GW) of energy to the region.

LAKE MARY, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With rapidly increasing energy demand and challenges in the power generation market, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative is taking action and leveraging its strategic industry partnerships to expand the Lowman Energy Center (LEC) in Leroy, Alabama.

Of all these strategic alliances, PowerSouth selected Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc. to

provide a second state-of-the-art, heavy-duty, advanced-class gas turbine to the LEC as part of the power plant's expansion to provide much-needed additional power in the region. Mitsubishi Power, a global leader in power generation technology, will provide its M501JAC gas turbine with a 25-year long-term service agreement while Burns & McDonnell will provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services.

Rapidly evolving energy factors such as relocation of production, electrification, and AI are having a major impact on the power generation supply chain. PowerSouth's expansion of the LEC demonstrates the cooperative's long-term planning capacity and readiness to address these challenges early and directly, in support of the region's economic growth and development.

By leveraging existing infrastructure, Mitsubishi Power's advanced turbine technology and Burns & McDonnell's EPC expertise, the LEC expansion project will ensure emissions compliance and operational efficiency, triggering additional cost savings. The expansion will greatly increase power capacity for PowerSouth's distribution grid members in Alabama and northwest Florida.

LEC 3 is the second M501JAC gas turbine to operate at the LEC. The first began operating at the power plant in 2023. PowerSouth will use your existing control room for the expansion unit. The cooperative's employees are already well-trained in the technology, facilitating a smooth transition to the new unit. PowerSouth is a system that typically peaks in winter demand and the addition of the new unit to the LEC will increase its capacity in winter from 696 MW to more than 1 GW of power, enough to power around 694,000 homes in the region.

The M501JAC is an industry leader in reliability, efficiency, and production, and can achieve maximum production in single-cycle operation, making the most of plant space to reliably generate as many MW as possible. A single-cycle unit also offers operational flexibility, with the ability to ramp up and down more quickly than a combined-cycle plant, helping to maintain reliable service during peak demand. The unit's high efficiency translates into affordable energy for members.

"PowerSouth expresses its appreciation for the strong professional relationship with such valued industry partners as Mitsubishi Power and Burns & McDonnell," said Damon Morgan, PowerSouth's president and chief executive officer. "Our distribution members and end users need reliable power at the most affordable cost possible. As a generation and transmission cooperative, our mission is to provide that energy to homes, schools, organizations, businesses, and industries throughout our service area. Expanding the LEC is essential to our mission, and our strong ties with industry leaders keep us well-positioned to address the challenges of the future."

"Reliable electricity is the backbone of strong communities and life as we know it. It's what keeps businesses running, preserves local jobs, and keeps families moving forward," said Bill Newsom, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Power Americas. "PowerSouth's investment in the Lowman Energy Center, including the addition of another M501JAC gas turbine, demonstrates a true forward-thinking to meet the increased demand we see across the region. It has been a great experience to collaborate with PowerSouth and Burns & McDonnell to deliver reliable, U.S.-generated energy infrastructure that supports long-term growth. It's the kind of collaboration we need to ensure that people and communities across the country have the reliable energy they need today and can count on tomorrow."

"We are proud to support cooperatives like PowerSouth in their proactive effort to expand their generation capacity to meet growing energy demand," said Scott Strawn, senior vice president and managing director of Burns & McDonnell's Power group. "Addressing today's energy market requires an optimized approach to project execution. The collaboration between PowerSouth, Mitsubishi Power and our integrated EPC team allows us to drive efficiency and reliability in the construction of advanced-class gas turbines, providing critical energy infrastructure for the communities that depend on it."

About PowerSouth Energy Cooperative

PowerSouth Energy Cooperative is a generation and transmission (G&T) electric cooperative comprised of 18 electric cooperatives and four municipal electric systems in Alabama and northwest Florida. Our mission is to provide safe, reliable and competitively priced wholesale energy to promote the development of the communities our members serve. Together, members provide electric service to homes, businesses and industries in 51 Alabama counties and 10 Florida counties.

About Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc.

Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc. (Mitsubishi Power), the company headquartered in Lake Mary, Florida, employs more than 2,700 experts and professionals in power generation, energy storage, and digital solutions. Our employees are focused on empowering our customers to combat climate change economically and reliably while generating prosperity for human beings throughout the Americas: North, Central and South. Mitsubishi Power's power generation solutions include gas, steam and aeroderivatives turbines; powertrains and power islands; geothermal systems; development of photovoltaic solar projects; environmental controls; and services. Energy storage solutions include green hydrogen, battery energy storage systems, and services. Mitsubishi Power also offers smart solutions that use artificial intelligence to enable power plants to operate autonomously. Mitsubishi Power is a brand of energy solutions from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI). (MHI). Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, MHI is one of the world's leading manufacturers of heavy machinery, with engineering and manufacturing activities spanning the energy, infrastructure, transportation, aerospace, and defense sectors. For more information, visit the Mitsubishi Power Americas website and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Burns & McDonnell

With more than 75 offices worldwide, Burns & McDonnell designs and builds critical infrastructure. Our group of companies, made up of engineers, construction professionals, architects, planners, technologists and scientists, develops projects based on safety and the desire to make a difference for the success of our clients. Founded in 1898, Burns & McDonnell is 100% owned by its employees. Learn more.

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