Jan. 13, 2012

VENDOR FORUM FOR FERGUSON REPLACEMENT SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 1 IN MARBLE FALLS

LCRA and Fluor Corporation will host a vendor forum Thursday, March 1, at 9:30 a.m. at the Lakeside Pavilion in Marble Falls to look for potential subcontractors and suppliers to help with the Thomas C. Ferguson Power Plant Replacement Project. The pavilion is located at 307 Buena Vista Drive in Marble Falls.

LCRA is replacing its 37-year-old Ferguson plant near Horseshoe Bay with a new natural gas-fired power plant that will be one of the most efficient and environmentally responsible electric generating facilities operating in Texas. The project contractor, Fluor Corporation, will be looking for potential subcontractors and suppliers.

Fluor is interested in a variety of trades, including:

• Building supplies and materials
• Concrete
• Various building trades
• Real estate rentals (temporary housing)
• Office supplies
• Catering
• Earth and road work

Check the vendor forum website at www.lcra.org/fergusonreplacement for a more comprehensive list of trades in which Fluor is interested.

The 540-megawatt combined-cycle natural gas plant will use 35 to 40 percent less fuel than traditional gas-fired plants by combining a gas-turbine system and a steam-cycle system to generate electricity. The combination of the cycles creates a highly efficient power plant with lower fuel costs and fewer emissions.

Currently, Fluor is in the project's engineering and procurement phase, and has been conducting survey and site preparation work. LCRA encourages its contractors to involve as many local businesses as possible through qualified and cost-effective suppliers and subcontractors. Anyone interested in attending the vendor forums can register for free online at www.lcra.org/fergusonreplacement or call Al Beavers at 1-800-776-5272, Ext. 3287.

Open houses for the general public to learn more about the plant are tentatively scheduled for spring of 2012 and will coincide with the new plant's groundbreaking.

LCRA and Fluor will coordinate closely with local law enforcement, city and county leaders and other public officials to minimize impacts to neighbors during construction. Residents near the Ferguson plant can expect to see site preparation activities, such as fencing and the installation of erosion controls, continuing into the spring. LCRA will send email updates on construction activities to people who have signed up to receive the free electronic newsletter. To sign up for the updates, to register your business as a potential vendor, or to learn more about the project, go to www.lcra.org/fergusonreplacement.

Job fair
Fluor also plans to host an employment fair shortly after the vendor forum. The employment fair will give individuals with particular job skills an opportunity to talk with Fluor representatives and find out how to apply for jobs.

Open house plans
LCRA, with Fluor's participation, plans to conduct two open houses in the spring for the public to learn more about the project and how Fluor will conduct its work to minimize impacts to the community. The open houses are tentatively scheduled for Marble Falls and Horseshoe Bay.

E-newsletter updates
LCRA will send email updates on construction activities to people who have signed up to receive its free electronic newsletter. To sign up for the newsletter, to register a business as a potential vendor or to learn more about the project, see www.lcra.org/fergusonreplacement.

About Ferguson Power Plant
LCRA began operating Thomas C. Ferguson Power Plant in 1974 to meet increased demand, especially in the western part of its Central Texas service area. The single-unit, natural gas-fired plant can generate up to 420 megawatts, enough electricity to meet the peak demand for nearly 100,000 Texas homes. Today, Ferguson operates primarily during periods of peak demand and also provides reserve and emergency power for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Lake LBJ provides cooling water for the plant and is a popular recreation destination. The Ferguson plant is located in Llano County, about 8.5 miles west of Marble Falls. Other nearby communities include Horseshoe Bay, Granite Shoals, Cottonwood Shores, Meadowlakes, Highland Haven and Sunrise Beach. The plant employs about 40 people and contributes about $2.5 million anually to the region's economy.

About LCRA
The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) is a nonprofit conservation and reclamation district that provides energy, water, and community services to Texans. Created by the Texas Legislature in 1934, LCRA has no taxing authority and operates solely on utility revenues and service fees. LCRA supplies electricity to more than 1.1 million Texans through more than 40 wholesale customers. LCRA also provides many other services in the region. These services include managing floods, protecting the quality of the lower Colorado River and its tributaries, providing parks and recreational facilities, offering economic development assistance, operating water and wastewater utilities, and providing soil, energy, and water conservation programs.