Regulated Power Plants
Acadia Power Station 
| Cleco Power owns Acadia Unit 1 and half of the plant's common assets and operates and maintains the entire plant. Entergy Louisiana, LLC owns Unit 2 and the other half of the plant's common assets. Acadia began commercial operations in 2002. The 1,160-megawatt plant is fueled by natural gas and uses combined-cycle technology to produce efficient, reliable power. Acadia's fuel efficiency and state-of-the-art pollution controls help preserve natural resources.
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| LOCATION: South of Eunice, Acadia Parish
PLANT TYPE: combined-cycle
FUEL SOURCE: natural gas
TOTAL *NAMEPLATE CAPACITY: 1,160 megawatts
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Dolet Hills Power Station 
| As a major industrial partner, Dolet Hills Power Station played a vital role in the growth of DeSoto Parish. The plant sits on a 30,000-acre site and went into operation in 1986. It generates 650 megawatts of electricity using lignite, a type of coal mined in DeSoto and Red River parishes. During construction, the plant represented a new era in energy production in Louisiana. It is the only plant in the state fueled by lignite. Dolet Hills is co-owned by Cleco Power LLC, a subsidiary of Cleco Corp., and AEP-SWEPCO. Cleco Power operates the plant.
Lignite, a dark brown-to-black combustible mineral, is a natural resource formed over millions of years by the partial decomposition of plant material. It is mined by the Dolet Hills Lignite Company, a subsidiary of AEP-SWEPCO, which oversees and supports the mining operations. Dolet Hills burns 3.5-4 million tons of lignite yearly. Because of the proximity of the mine to the plant, the electricity generated is economical and reliable. A seven-mile conveyor belt sends the lignite directly from the mine to the plant, saving on transportation and other costs.
The plant partners with a national marketing firm, ISG Resources, to find alternative uses for its ash, a by-product of coal-generated electricity. Currently, the plant's ash is being sold as a cement additive, which makes concrete stronger and more durable.
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| LOCATION: Southeast of Mansfield, DeSoto Parish
FUEL SOURCE: lignite
TOTAL *NAMEPLATE CAPACITY: 650 megawatts |
Brame Energy Center
| Brame Energy Center, which sits on 6,000 acres, uses man-made Rodemacher Lake as a cooling source for the plant's generating units. The lake covers about half of the site. To reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment, contractors planted 65,000 hardwood seedlings on about 120 acres of the plant site in 2001. The Brame Energy Center is also working with a national marketing firm, ISG Resources, to find alternative uses for its ash, a by-product of coal-generated electricity. Currently, the ash is being sold as a cement additive, which makes concrete stronger and more durable. The Brame Energy Center burns 1.75-2.1 million tons of coal a year. Nesbitt Unit 1, completed in 1975, is 100 percent owned by Cleco Power, a subsidiary of Cleco Corp. It is fueled by natural gas and low-sulfur fuel oil and can produce 440 megawatts. Rodemacher Unit 2, completed in 1982, is jointly owned by Cleco Power, Louisiana Energy and Power Authority and Lafayette Utilities System. It is fueled predominantly by coal from Wyoming and can produce 523 megawatts. Madison Unit 3, 100 percent owned by Cleco Power is the company's largest generating unit, and was completed in 2010. It is among the cleanest solid-fuel units of its kind in the nation. The unit is key to Cleco Power’s strategy to be self-sufficient in its power supply and increase fuel flexibility. It can use multiple solid fuels including biomass and petroleum coke, a byproduct of the oil refining industry, to generate up to 600-megawatts. The plant uses circulating fluidized-bed technology. In addition to the potential of lowering carbon emissions, the technology also addresses regulated emissions. Because the boiler firing temperature is about 1600° F, nitrogen oxides (NOx) do not form. In addition, Cleco has installed emission control systems to the boiler that further reduce NOx. Sulfur dioxide emissions are almost non-existent by adding limestone with the fuel in the boiler and scrubbers as a post-combustion control. The unit uses about 1.5 million tons of pet coke and 500,000 tons of limestone each year. Both the pet coke and limestone are barged to an off-loading facility located on the Red River. The materials are then moved to the unit by a 1.5 mile conveyor.
| | | LOCATION: Lena, Rapides Parish
FUEL SOURCE: natural gas, oil, coal, petroleum coke, biomass
TOTAL *NAMEPLATE CAPACITY: 1,563 megawatts |
Teche Power Station 
| Teche Power Station sits on approximately 45 acres of land. It has been part of St. Mary Parish for half a century and supports the growth of the parish.
Teche Units 1 and 3 are 100 percent owned by Cleco Power, a subsidiary of Cleco Corp. Teche Unit 2, completed in 1956, was retired in Dec. 2011. The other two were completed in 1953 and 1971, respectively, and are fueled by natural gas and oil. Combined, the two units have a total generating capacity of 382 megawatts. Unit 3 produces 350 of the 382 megawatts. Units 1 is primarily used as a peaking unit when demand is extremely high. In 2011, Cleco Power completed Teche 4, a 33-megawatt natural gas blackstart generating unit. This unit will enable the company to restore its generation system quickly in the event of a total system shutdown.
EUCG, an independent utility cost-benchmarking organization, recognized Teche as a best performer in non-fuel operating and maintenance costs compared to plants of similar size and fuel type so many times that they presented them with the "Top Banana" award in 2000.
| | | LOCATION: Baldwin, St. Mary Parish
FUEL SOURCE: natural gas and oil
TOTAL *NAMEPLATE CAPACITY: 382 megawatts |
* Nameplate capacity represents the unit's capacity at the start of commercial operations. | Cleco Power operates and owns the following generating units | | GENERATING STATION | GEN.
UNIT # | INITIAL
OPERATION
YEAR | NAME PLATE
CAPACITY (MW) | FUEL USED FOR
GENERATION | | Acadia Power Station | 1 | 2002 | 580 | natural gas | | Dolet Hills Power Station | | 1986 | 325 | lignite/natural gas | | Brame Energy Center | Nesbitt 1 | 1975 | 440 | natural gas/oil | | | Rodemacher 2 | 1982 | 157 | coal/natural gas | | | Madison 3 | 2010 | 600 | petcoke | | Teche Power Station | 1 | 1953 | 23 | natural gas | | | *2 | 1956 | n/a | natural gas | | | 3 | 1971 | 359 | natural gas/oil |
| 4 | 2011 | 33 | natural gas | | Franklin Gas Turbine | | 1973 | 7 | natural gas | | Total | | | 2,524 | | | Cleco Power operates the following units/megawatts for its partners | | GENERATING STATION | GEN.
UNIT # | INITIAL
OPERATION
YEAR | NAME PLATE
CAPACITY (MW) | FUEL USED FOR
GENERATION | | Acadia Power Station | 2 | 2002 | 580 | natural gas | | Dolet Hills Power Station |
| 1986 | 325 | lignite | | Brame Energy Center | 2 | 1982 | 366 | coal/natural gas | | Total |
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| 1,271 |
| *Teche Unit 2 was retired on in Dec. 2011.
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