Columbia Energy Center is a
base load
The base load (also baseload) is the minimum level of demand on an electrical grid over a span of time, for example, one week. This demand can be met by unvarying power plants, dispatchable generation, or by a collection of smaller intermittent e ...
,
sub-bituminous coal Sub-bituminous coal is a lower grade of coal that contains 35–45% carbon. The properties of this type are between those of lignite, the lowest grade of coal, and those of bituminous coal, the second-highest grade of coal. Sub-bituminous coal i ...
-fired,
electrical
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...
power station
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.
Many p ...
located south of
Portage
Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...
in the
Town of Pacific,
Columbia County, Wisconsin
Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,490. Its county seat and largest city is Portage. The county was created in 1846 as part of Wisconsin Territory.
Columbia County i ...
. Ownership is 46.2%
Wisconsin Power and Light Company
Alliant Energy is a public utility holding company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, providing power in Iowa and Wisconsin.
History
Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL) expanded greatly in the late 1920s to include operations in Iowa, ...
(
Alliant Energy
Alliant Energy is a public utility holding company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, providing power in Iowa and Wisconsin.
History
Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL) expanded greatly in the late 1920s to include operations in Iowa, ...
),
31.8%
Wisconsin Public Service
Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (WPS) is a utility company headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The company serves more than 450,000 electric customers and more than 333,000 natural gas customers in 27 counties in eastern, northeastern no ...
(
Integrys Energy Group
Integrys Energy Group, Inc. was an American energy company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It was formed by the merger of WPS Resources Corp. and Peoples Energy Corp. on February 21, 2007. The Chairman, President, and chief executive offic ...
), and 22%
Madison Gas and Electric
Madison Gas and Electric Company (MGE) is the primary subsidiary of MGE Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: MGEE). As a regulated utility, it primarily serves the Madison, Wisconsin metropolitan area with electricity, gas and green energy options.
History
Th ...
(MGE).
History
Columbia Energy Center was built in the early 1970s. Unit 1 went online in 1975 and Unit 2 went online in 1978, with nameplate capacities of 512 MW and 511 MW, respectively.
In 2009, faced with environmental regulations regarding future operations, the owners of Columbia Energy Center invested in upgrades to the plant. The owners submitted an Electric Generation Expansion Analysis System (EGEAS) summary report to the
Public Service Commission of Wisconsin
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin is an independent regulatory agency responsible for regulating public utilities in the energy, telecommunications, gas and water companies located in U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2021, the agency regul ...
on April 2, 2009. The report presented the results of a planning and scenarios analysis to support Wisconsin Power and Light, Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, and MGE's joint application for a Certificate of Authority (CA) for the installation of emission controls at the facility.
Although not required by law, the Commission held a hearing on the matter of the upgrade after several parties, including the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), Clean Wisconsin (Clean WI), and the Sierra Club, filed a joint request to intervene.
Columbia's owners were granted a Certificate authorizing the installation of air emissions reductions systems and associated equipment on March 11, 2011, at an estimate cost of $627 million. Construction began on April 16, 2012, and was completed in December 2014 at a total cost of $589 million.
On February 2, 2021, Alliant Energy, the majority owner and operator of the Columbia Energy Center announced the plant will shut down by 2025. On June 23, 2022, Alliant announced that CEC's decommissioning date would be delayed until mid-2026, due to the ongoing
supply chain issues and to hedge against an energy shortage in upcoming years, with CEC mainly being in service during peak periods.
Electricity generation
In 2021, Columbia Energy Center generated 5,907 GWh, approximately 9.4% of the total electric power generated in Wisconsin (62,584 GWh)
for that year. The plant had a 2021 annual capacity factor of 65.91%.
See also
*
List of power stations in Wisconsin
This is a list of electricity-generating power stations in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, sorted by type and name. In 2019, Wisconsin had a total summer capacity of 15,312 MW through all of its power plants, and a net generation of 66,774&nbs ...
References
External links
Scorecard Environmental Release Report: COLUMBIA ENERGY CENTER
{{Authority control
Energy infrastructure completed in 1978
Buildings and structures in Columbia County, Wisconsin
Coal-fired power stations in Wisconsin
Alliant Energy