Alliant Energy Seeks Expansion of Riverside Energy Center in Wisconsin

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Alliant Energy Corporation (NYSE:LNT) (Madison, Wisconsin) plans to expand its Riverside Energy Center, located in Beloit, Wisconsin, according to a recent press release. The expansion will include a natural gas-fueled, 2-on-1, combined-cycle power block that will utilize two 227-megawatt (MW) GE Energy (NYSE:GE) (Fairfield, Connecticut) 7FA.05-model combustion turbines (or equivalent), equipped with heat recovery steam generators (HRSG), and a 234-MW GE D600 steam turbine.

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"An investment in new, highly efficient natural gas generation provides significant environmental benefits to Wisconsin, brings hundreds of construction jobs to the state and delivers an economic boost to the region," said Patricia Kampling, Alliant Energy's chairman, president and chief executive officer.

The expansion at Riverside is part of Alliant's plan to replace generation capacity, which is due to be lost with the closure of some of its older coal-fired plants. Alliant first hinted in 2012 it was considering such closures.

For related information, see October 1, 2012, article - Alliant Lays Out Five-Year, $2.7 Billion Compliance and Resource Spending Plan.

The welcoming of a proposed expansion at Riverside has not been unqualified. Kira Loehr, the executive director and general counsel at the Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin, said: "Wisconsin should not commit to building new, large, expensive, centralized generating units on an individual utility basis without a thorough examination of need for the plant and of alternatives, such as demand response, energy efficiency, and combining projects with other utilities."

John Larsen, president of Alliant Energy's Wisconsin utility, said: "Having access to reliable, flexible, around-the-clock power that a combined-cycle energy center offers will be a direct benefit to our customers. We are initiating plans that reflect our commitment to the environment, while at the same time implementing innovative, reliable generation to meet the long-term needs of our customers. As part of our long-term planning, the Riverside Energy Center will also be evaluated for the integration of solar energy, as we continue to expand our renewables portfolio."

Alliant is hoping to file for approval with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in early 2015. If approval is obtained, construction of the project would begin toward the middle of 2016, with completion in spring 2019. The Riverside project is similar in size and scope to another Alliant construction taking place in Iowa. The Marshalltown Generating Station is already under construction is expected to be complete in spring 2017.

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