Kemper gasification plant not looking like a great deal

When Mississippi Power Company unveiled its plans in 2009 for a coal gasification plant in Kemper County, it sounded like an exciting, forward-looking idea.

The plant would use an abundant natural resource in this state — low-grade coal — for which there has not been a huge demand. It would employ pioneering technology that reduces the amount of carbon emissions normally coming from coal-fired plants. It would provide its Southeast Mississippi customers with a dependable home-grown source of electricity. It would be a major jobs provider in East Mississippi.