Wisconsin to build a natural gas-fueled generating facility with solar field

Wisconsin began one of its largest economic and job growth projects on Thursday, announcing Alliant Energy’s Riverside Energy Center expansion, a 700-megawatt (MW) natural gas-fueled generating facility that integrates a two MW solar field.

The project will cost approximately $700 million and create approximately 1,000 construction jobs near Beloit, Wis. The economic impact during construction is expected to be approximately $250 million.

“Today marks a major step forward in our mission to provide cost-effective, reliable energy for decades to come,” Chairman, President and CEO of Alliant Energy Patricia Kampling said. “This highly efficient facility will modernize our generating operations and advance our transition to cleaner energy sources.”

Estimated for completion by early 2020, the Riverside expansion will be able to serve approximately 535,000 homes. The solar field will improve the generating station’s sustainability and increases Alliant Energy’s renewable energy portfolio.

The Riverside expansion is located on the western edge of a 315-acre energy campus in Beloit. The location is comprised of the existing 675 MW natural gas-fueled Riverside Energy Center and the Beloit Operations Center. The Rock River solar project is Wisconsin’s largest solar facility and produces approximately 2.3 MW. It began generating energy on the campus earlier this year.