Phase II hearings of the company's Kemper County Project proposal will be held next week, February 1-5 before the Mississippi Public Service Commission in Jackson.
This round of hearings will focus on the resources and costs for the proposed new baseload generation.
Mississippi Power has proposed building a new 582-megawatt advanced coal gasification plant in Kemper County, Mississippi.
In November, the PSC determined, during the Phase I hearing, that the company demonstrated that public convenience and necessity requires additional generating capacity and energy as early as 2014.
"In Phase II of the commission's hearing process, we look forward to presenting our case to meet this need by building the proposed Kemper County project and providing the best possible option of electric service for our customers and the future economy of South Mississippi, said Johnny Atherton, vice president, External Affairs.
A comprehensive generation study along with careful evaluation of financial assessments, environmental assessments and technological assessments all concluded the proposed Kemper County IGCC Project stands as the best alternative to meet the needs of our customers, Atherton said.
"We are looking at deploying the cleanest, most efficient coal-based technology available," Atherton said. "We propose the plant be fueled by a mine-mouth operation using low-cost lignite coal, which is in an abundant supply in Kemper County.
"Clean, affordable and reliable energy is what we are looking to provide our customers for decades to come," he added.
The commission is scheduled to provide a final order by May 1.
