Maintenance and operations employees for the Anson and Hamlet power plants, owned and operated by the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation (NCEMC) on behalf of the state’s electric cooperatives, recently celebrated 10 years with no lost time accidents. A lost time accident is one that results in at least one full day away from work duties.

“Our employees have made safety their number one priority at these facilities and it is part of their workplace culture,” NCEMC COO Mike Burnette says. “This is an outstanding achievement that we can all be proud of, and is a true testament to their focus and dedication to safety.”

Plant staff were recognized for their safety record at an April 20 luncheon. Eleven employees worked an estimated 187,000 hours at the sites over the past decade, or since the Anson plant’s six generating units were under construction and plant staff hired. The Anson plant went into commercial operation on June 1, 2007.  Five units at the Hamlet Facility went into commercial operation on December 1, 2007, and a sixth Hamlet generating unit came online in summer 2013.

NCEMC owns and operates 678 MW of Pratt & Whitney Power Systems aero-derivative combustion turbines at the two plants, located in Anson and Richmond counties. A total of 12 units, used for producing “peaking power” (electricity that is needed during times of high demand), are able to burn either natural gas or ultra-low sulfur No. 2 fuel oil.