Leadership students visit local power plant

Youth Leadership Polk is a program for local high school sophomores.

A group of students in the Polk County Chamber of Commerce’s Youth Leadership Polk program visited Oglethorpe Power’s Sewell Creek Energy Facility on Monday, March 20, for an interactive energy education event.

Oglethorpe Power sponsors Youth Leadership Polk, which is designed to encourage students to participate as leaders in their schools and to continue to promote and enhance the quality of life for themselves and their communities.

During the event, the sophomore students from Rockmart and Cedartown high schools learned about electricity generation and toured the Sewell Creek Energy Facility, a natural gas-fired power plant operated by Oglethorpe Power in Southeast Polk County.

Following the plant tour, students learned about renewable energy and engaged in an interactive solar energy demonstration presented by Green Power EMC, a renewable energy cooperative owned by the same 38 distribution cooperatives that own Oglethorpe Power.

As an active corporate citizen in many counties across the state, Oglethorpe Power is dedicated to building strong community relationships and investing time, talent and resources to help enrich the lives of Georgia residents, with an emphasis on supporting low-income youth and enabling development through leadership and education programs.

“Although power generation is our business, Oglethorpe Power’s focus extends beyond generating reliable, cost-effective electricity,” said Keith Parks, plant manager of the Sewell Creek Energy Facility. “We believe in being a good neighbor and a community partner, and we are proud to support the Youth Leadership Polk Program and provide educational opportunities for the next generation of Polk County leaders.”

Oglethorpe Power is one of the nation’s largest power supply cooperatives with more than $16 billion in assets serving 38 Electric Membership Corporations which, collectively, provide electricity to approximately 4.4 million Georgia residents.

Contributed Sewell Creek Energy Facility Plant Manager Keith Parks (center) leads Youth Leadership Polk students on a tour through the facility Monday, March 20.