Former Tupelo Mayor and TVA Chairman Glenn McCullough Jr. has been named chairman of Meridian Power's biomass operations in the U.S., where the London-based company plans to build its first power plant.

In fact, the company said it has chosen Mississippi for the location of the plant, one of six 100- to 150-megawatt large-scale biomass-fired power plants it wants to build in the Southeast.

"Mississippi has tremendous resources in biomass, so we're looking at places to begin operations," McCullough said.

While Meridian Power hasn't committed to a particular site, McCullough said the company is looking at several locations and is working with the Mississippi Development Authority.

"Right now we're in stage one," McCullough said, adding that it was too early to say how big of an investment or how many "green" jobs might come with a plant.

But clearly, it's McCullough's experience that got Meridian Power's attention.

"Glenn is a highly regarded professional with a distinguished career in the power sector, and Meridian Power is delighted that he has joined us to build a significant biomass business in the U.S.," said company CEO Marco Dell'Aquilla.

"Biomass power generation is an important but often overlooked source of clean and locally 'grown' power," he continued. "It helps to stimulate the creation and maintenance of long-term jobs. Biomass power generation is green, economically viable and produces power 24/7."

Meridian Power is looking into using "virgin woodchip as feedstock for its power plants," according to the company's website.

"Critical to the success of these projects will be the local and state support for such initiatives, which typically create significant and long-term employment both during construction and operation," the company adds.