| Good news for the region.
New jobs and an emission free power plant is coming to the Willow Island Locks and Dam.
The plant is set to operate by 2012.
Construction will begin later this year for the American Municipal Power Ohio hydroelectric project.
American Municipal is building three run-of-the river hydroelectric plants at existing dams on the Ohio River in West Virginia, Indiana, and Kentucky.
Kent Carson, a spokesperson for the company said up to nine people will be hired full time on site but the number of construction workers will peak at 400 between 2009 and 2011.
The plants will generate more than 200 MW of emission-free power to municipal electric systems in Ohio, West Virginia, and three other states.
Voith Siemens Hydro, the company that's manufacturing the turbines and generators is looking to build a new manufacturing site in Ohio close to the plants. That plant will create 50 jobs.
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