Non-Profit Unveils Plans to Repurpose 100-year-old Power Plant

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."  



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