OGLETHORPE POWER NAMES KEITH RUSSELL AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CONSTRUCTION
ATLANTA, GA (February 20, 2009) – Oglethorpe Power Corporation, the nation’s largest power supply cooperative, has named Keith D. Russell to the newly created position of senior vice president, construction. Russell, of Gardendale, Al., joins Oglethorpe Power from Southern Company Generation, where he served as general manager of construction services. Southern Company Generation is a business unit of Atlanta-based Southern Company.
In his new role, Russell will oversee construction of Oglethorpe Power’s power generating facilities, including two – and possibly three – previously announced wood-chip-fueled biomass power plants scheduled for operation in 2014 and 2015. In addition to its renewable biomass plants, Oglethorpe Power also is investigating options for other power plants in the years ahead.
Russell has held a variety of project and senior management positions at Southern Company Generation since joining the firm in 1990. Prior to that, he was a construction engineer at Alabama Power Company. His experience has included overseeing construction of power generating facilities capable of producing thousands of megawatts of electric power.
“We are delighted to have someone with Keith’s skills and range of experience joining us at this critical time as we begin constructing several new facilities to meet our member systems’ electricity needs,” said Michael W. Price, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Oglethorpe Power.
Russell holds a master’s of business administration and bachelor’s of mechanical engineering from the University of Alabama Birmingham. He is married and has two daughters.
Oglethorpe Power Corporation (OPC) is the nation's largest power supply cooperative with approximately $5 billion in assets serving 38 Electric Membership Corporations which, collectively, provide electricity to 4.1 million Georgia citizens. A proponent of conscientious energy development and use, Oglethorpe Power balances reliable and affordable energy with environmental responsibility and has an outstanding record of regulatory compliance. Its diverse energy portfolio includes natural gas, hydroelectric, coal and nuclear generating plants with a combined capacity of approximately 4,700 megawatts (MW), as well as purchased power. Oglethorpe Power was established in 1974 and is owned by its 38 Member Systems. It is headquartered in Tucker, Georgia.
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