Preparations all lead up to SRP's plan of having the final generator commercially operational in April, when it will dish out power to about 200,000 households.

A similar start-up last fall caused some disruptions for area neighborhoods, including some households experiencing shaking. Neighborhoods have been warned of the upcoming work via newsletters and e-mail, and the SRP has worked to put more muffling equipment on the unit to stifle sound and vibration, said Bill Rihs, SRP's manager of new generation projects.

The plant faced heavy opposition from Gilbert residents and some Town Council members about five years ago, but the $525 million expansion effort still moved forward. In the years since, the SRP has spent $20 million on landscaping and mitigation efforts, and also commissioned the Santan Neighborhood Committee to watch over the plant.

Plant opposition has died down considerably over the years, with some Gilbert residents simply accepting the fact that the plant is here to stay.

"We would all prefer if we didn't have to look at it," said Nan Dawson, a former president of the Cottonwood Crossing homeowners association board who helped craft the SRP-funded community improvements. "But the bottom line is, I think we all want the electricity that it is going to generate."Rihs said the overall benefit to the Valley's power grid should overpower any ill sentiment locally.

"I tell you what, it saved our skins this last summer," Rihs said. "It's in our grid and providing reliability and stability to our system."

The Santan Neighborhood Committee, comprised mainly of volunteers in nearby neighborhoods, will monitor air emission, noise compliance and water quality.

Edward Mooney, who lives within walking distance of the plant and serves as the neighborhood committee's commissioner, said one of the major committee responsibilities is to keep communication lines open between neighbors and the SRP.

"It's a pretty intimidating plant on the corner," said Mooney, 54.