Alliant Energy prides itself on the delivery of safe, reliable energy to over 600 communities in central and southern Wisconsin. With the help of its 1,800 in-state employees, the company is executing a number of projects to protect the environment, enhance reliable service and minimize costs for its customers.
Madison-based Alliant Energy and the co-owners of the Columbia Energy Center near Portage will complete a $600 million air quality control system later this year that will reduce sulfur-dioxide and mercury emissions by up to 90 percent. At Edgewater Generating Station in Sheboygan, Alliant is breaking ground this spring on a $300 million air quality control system, which will provide similar emission reductions. A $130 million project will soon be underway at Columbia to improve plant efficiency and increase operating capacity by nearly 10 percent.
“I am extremely proud of our accomplishments in transitioning the environmental profile of our generation fleet while meeting reliability and cost commitments to our customers,” said Patricia L. Kampling, Alliant Energy’s Chairman, President and CEO. “Our success encourages us to do more, and we are excited about the possibilities.”
In 2014, Alliant plans to invest $74 million in upgrades to its Wisconsin energy distribution network. As in prior years, the investment will help maintain poles, wires, transformers, substations and underground facilities.
The company has the lowest residential electric rates among Wisconsin investor-owned utilities and business rates that are among the lowest, Kampling said. Meeting the challenge of investing in reliability and environmental protection, while maintaining competitive costs for customers, is a key goal for the utility, she added.
