By Morgan Montalvo
WOAI News
EPIcenter, an alternative energy non-profit, on Monday made public its concept to reconfigure the century-old Mission Reach Power Plant south of downtown as a next-generatiion clean power incubator.
The evening presentation atracted a full house to the Freetail Brewing Co. on South Presa Street.
Designers envision the long-vacant, 90,000-square-foot facility in Southtown as a one-stop center for experimentation, small-business development and public education, said EPIcenter CEO Kimberly Britton.
"It's a very special property, and so it needed a very special purpose," Britton said of the century old complex. "It will house a think tank, an incubator, fabrication laboratory, exhibit space and a conference center."
The reconfigured power plant, Britton said, "encompasses everything from renewable, solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, all of that, but it also encompasses some transitional technologies from traditional oil and gas - better, cleaner, more efficient."
"It's certainly one of the most exciting things we've seen," Joan Cook-Carabin, longtime resident of the Lavaca area south of downtown adjacent to the Mission Reach station, said of the EPIcenter proposal. "This is a big, big turnaround.
"I see this as a tremendous educational opportunity for the neighborhood; a tremendous chance not only to learn these technologires, but actually to be be able to start a business," Cook-Carabin said. "I'd call it a gift to the whole Southtown area."
Britton said EPIcenter can position the Alamo City as the state's alternative energy development leader.
"Austin is known for its tech," said Britton. "San Antonio can be known for its new energy sector,"
Britton said donors have pledged more than $21 million, leaving the non-profit to raise the more than $53 million needed to begin operations in the next two to three years.
EPIcenter's capital letters E, C and I stand for "Energy, Partnerships and Innovation."