Flint Creek Power Plant in Benton County recognized for environmental excellence

Flint Creek Power Plant in Gentry has been awarded Conservation Certification by the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) in recognition of the plant’s commitment to environmental stewardship.

American Electric Power (AEP) received the certification for its Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO) power plant’s habitat enhancement programs, including tallgrass prairie restoration, nesting boxes and other bird habitat improvement, and pollinator garden landscapes.

Flint Creek was designated as Certified Silver, signifying leadership among the over 700 WHC Conservation Certification programs. Programs are given a Certified, Silver Certified or Gold Certified designation. Flint Creek has held certification under the WHC’s Corporate Lands for Learning and Wildlife at Work programs since 2004 and 2002, respectively, and since 2016 when the two programs were combined into the Conservation Certification.

“We are extremely proud of the long-standing environmental stewardship efforts by our team at Flint Creek, as well as the community partnerships that have grown up around that stewardship,” Malcolm Smoak, SWEPCO president and chief operating officer, said in a statement.

Approximately 700 acres of the power plant’s 1,600 acres are designated as wildlife habitat. The site for many activities is Flint Creek’s 65-acre Eagle Watch Nature Trail, which includes a half-mile walking trail and two wildlife viewing pavilions. Built in 1999 at Swepco Lake, the power plant’s cooling reservoir, Eagle Watch is located on Arkansas Highway 12 one mile east of Gentry.  It is open to the public at no charge year-round.

Flint Creek is a 516-megawatt coal-fueled power plant serving co-owners AEP SWEPCO and Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. SWEPCO operates the plant.