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Two days after it was bought by a Florida developer, Atlantic City's former Revel casino was at risk of going cold and dark as the power plant that is its sole supplier of utility service said it would cut off service Thursday.

The move by ACR Energy came two days after developer Glenn Straub, who had been battling over future payment assurances, took over the building. Straub bought Revel on Tuesday but hasn't been able to reach a deal with ACR to provide utility service there.

Timothy Lowry, a lawyer for ACR, said the company will cut off service at noon, Thursday.

"This is the last thing we want," he said Thursday morning. "But this guy ... I don't know what to believe. He wants us to provide free power. Glenn Straub doesn't want to pay anything. He bought Showboat and he thinks he's going to be sending sea turtles down the Boardwalk with electrical cords."

Straub bought the Showboat, another shuttered former casino located next door to Revel, on Friday. He said he can connect Revel to the utility grid through Showboat, which has its own separate power plant, but it would take about two weeks.

In the meantime, Straub said, he is looking for portable generator trucks to power the complex. A security firm is patrolling the property. But Straub acknowledged there could be short-term problems if power is cut.

"Batteries for the emergency exits last about three hours," Straub told The Associated Press early Thursday. "After that, they better get their check book out and pray there's not another Chicago fire. The Fire Department's hook and ladder won't go up that high. To try to blackmail what we are starting for the season in May isn't fair. This type of tactic is why 4,000 people lost their jobs."

Mold and burst pipes are also a concern without utility service.

Revel shut down on Sept. 2 after just over two years of operation, during which it never turned a profit. It cost $2.4 billion to build; Straub bought it for $82 million out of bankruptcy court, or about 4 cents on the dollar.

ACR's aggressive efforts to recoup some of its unpaid bills and the debt remaining from the construction of its power plant were major reasons why the sale of Revel proved so difficult. The sale occurred on the fifth attempt; a Canadian firm that made the highest bid walked away because it could not reach an agreement with ACR.

Both sides acknowledge they have been negotiating for months over what Straub would pay for continued utility service through ACR. Straub said the company offered him a short-term, two week deal for $250,000, which he termed "way over their cost." ACR would not reveal details of their negotiations over the price of proposed service.

Lowry said it would take about two hours to end electric, heat and water service to the building, a process that would begin at noon, barring a last-minute resolution.

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Wayne Parry can be reached at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC