Interstate Power and Light Announces Technology for New Power Plant

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, April 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Interstate Power and Light Co. (IPL), a subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corporation (NYSE:LNT) decided to utilize super-critical pulverized coal boiler technology at its new generation facility planned for Marshalltown, Iowa. It offers IPL’s customers affordable and reliable electricity and also boasts increased efficiencies over traditional plants. Those efficiencies provide a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.


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“Our plant design team was charged with finding an environmentally responsible technology that was also reliable and affordable for customers,” explained Kim Zuhlke, vice president of new energy resources for Alliant Energy. “Customers can be assured that we’re building a plant using the best available proven boiler technology. It’s highly efficient, meaning it takes less coal to produce power. That means lower emissions and fuel costs.”


Many factors were considered in selecting technology, and each site is different. To reduce risk to customers and shareowners, the utility focused on efficient technologies that are already in commercial operation and also focused on available fuels and available delivery methods.


IP&L’s plans call for the boiler to be designed to burn biomass fuels, such as switchgrass. Provisions are also being made to allow for co-generation. Co-generation allows a portion of the steam created during electric power production to be exported to a nearby facility, providing a future economic development opportunity for Marshalltown.


IP&L project team members continue to pursue and review the best available control technology to further reduce air emissions. Those controls will ensure the plant can meet stringent air emission standards, and will reduce particulate, NOx, SO2 and mercury emissions as regulated by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and federal regulators.


Design work on the new plant continues and permitting and regulatory approval efforts are underway. The plant is expected to produce approximately 600 MW of electricity. IP&L expects to utilize at least 250 MW of that output and make the remaining capacity available to other utility partners. IP&L expects a groundbreaking in late 2008 or early 2009. IP&L projects commercial operation of the plant in 2013 or 2014.


Alliant Energy is an energy-services provider with subsidiaries serving approximately 1 million electric and over 420,000 natural gas customers. Providing its customers in the Midwest with regulated electric and natural gas service is the company’s primary focus. Interstate Power and Light, the company’s Iowa utility subsidiary, serves 538,000 electric and 239,000 natural gas customers. Alliant Energy, headquartered in Madison, Wis., is a Fortune 1000 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LNT. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at http://www.alliantenergy.com/.


This press release includes forward-looking statements. These forward- looking statements can be identified as such because the statements include words such as “plans,” or “expects” or other words of similar import. Similarly, statements that describe future plans or strategies are also forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated. Actual results could be affected by such factors as: state or federal regulatory actions or local government actions, including inability to obtain all necessary approvals and permits; unanticipated construction issues, delays or expenditures; political conditions in IP&L’s service territories; current or future litigation, regulatory investigations, proceedings or inquiries that could impede the implementation of the IP&L’s plans; failure of equipment and technology to perform as expected; inability to find utility partners for co-ownership or purchased power arrangements; and economic conditions in IP&L’s service territory. These factors should be considered when evaluating the forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. The forward-looking statements included herein are made as of the date hereof and Alliant Energy and IP&L undertake no obligation to update publicly such statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.