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June 18, 2010 | Thornburg retires after 31 years at Thomas Hill Energy CenterContact : Nancy Southworth 417.885.9246 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Moberly native Thane A. Thornburg, training coordinator at Associated Electric Cooperative’s Thomas Hill Energy Center, has retired after 31 years of service at the power plant. Thornburg started at Thomas Hill in 1978 as an instrumentation technician with a degree in electronics. During his tenure, he advanced to a computer programmer and was part of the team to lead the transformation from a pneumatic, air-powered-controlled power plant to one controlled by electronics and computers. One of the most ambitious challenges during his tenure was the power plant’s conversion to low sulfur coal in the 1990s. This conversion, which has reduced sulfur dioxide emissions by 90 percent since 1995, required tighter control systems to efficiently burn the low-sulfur coal in units designed to burn the higher sulfur coal. Thornburg’s duties included hands-on installation, integration and troubleshooting for the plant’s new distributed control system, which accompanied the conversion. “The ways we monitored and did troubleshooting kept changing. I never was bored, installing equipment was exciting and interesting,” said Thornburg. In 1998, Thornburg advanced to network administrator and was responsible for all the desktop computers in the plant. He helped install software, explain programs and support the servers. For the last seven years, he was training coordinator, helping the utility meet its changing needs with a trained work force. In 2005, Thornburg assisted in the curriculum development of a two-year degree program leading to an associate degree in applied science with an emphasis in power plant operations at Moberly Area Community College. Thornburg and his wife, Michele, a travel agent, reside on the family farm south of Moberly, where he plans to continue to reside while enjoying working on tractors, antique trucks and traveling to see their son and daughter in Kansas and Arkansas. “There will continue to be a lot of changes in the power industry. I encourage those coming behind me to take advantage of it. It is a world of opportunity,” said Thornburg. Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. is owned by and provides wholesale power to six regional and 51 local electric cooperative systems in Missouri, southeast Iowa and northeast Oklahoma that serve more than 875,000 customers. AECI’s mission is to provide an economical and reliable power supply and support services to its members, including its “Take Control & Save“ energy efficiency program, www.TakeControlAndSave.coop. AECI is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V Released: 18 June 2010 |
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