Columbia Energy Center Explained

Columbia Energy Center
Country:United States
Location:Dekorra, south of Portage, Wisconsin
Coordinates:43.4861°N -89.4203°W
Owner:Wisconsin Power and Light Company (46.2%), Wisconsin Public Service (31.8%), Madison Gas and Electric (22%)
Status:Active, under construction
Th Fuel Primary:Coal
Ps Cooling Source:Lake Columbia
Ps Electrical Capacity:1023
Ps Electrical Cap Fac:46.99% (2023)
Ps Annual Generation:4211 GWh (2023)
Commissioned:1975–1978

Columbia Energy Center is a base load, sub-bituminous coal-fired, electrical power station located south of Portage in the Town of Pacific, Columbia County, Wisconsin.[1] Ownership is 46.2% Wisconsin Power and Light Company (Alliant Energy),[2] 31.8% Wisconsin Public Service (Integrys Energy Group),[3] and 22% Madison Gas and Electric (MGE).[4]

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.[5] [6]

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 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.[7]

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.[8] Construction began on April 16, 2012, and was completed in December 2014 at a total cost of $589 million.[9]

On February 2, 2021, Alliant Energy, the majority owner and operator of the Columbia Energy Center announced the plant will shut down by 2025.[10] 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.[11]

MGE has since pushed back the retirement date of both units to June 2026.[12]

Future plans

After receiving a $30 million federal grant, Alliant Energy announced it would build a 20MW / 200MWh storage system on the site, similar to a prototype in Italy. The storage system is a novel closed-system carbon dioxide technology that converts the gas to liquid and back again at 75% efficiency, depending on demand.[13] [14] An application to construct, own, and operate the system was filed on August 7, 2024 with the Wisconsin PSC.[15]

Peregrine Falcons

An active peregrine falcon nest has been located on the stack of Unit 1 since 2006. The nest has produced over 60 peregrine falcon young in that time (3.3/yr). [16]

Electricity generation

In 2023, Columbia Energy Center generated 4,211 GWh, approximately 6.6% of the total electric power generated in Wisconsin (63,216 GWh)[17] for that year. The plant had a 2023 annual capacity factor of 46.99%.

Electrical Generation (MW-h) of Columbia Energy Center[18] !Year!Jan!Feb!Mar!Apr!May!Jun!Jul!Aug!Sep!Oct!Nov!Dec!Annual (Total)
2001642,820247,770518,771637,701649,573661,011702,598651,353586,758733,229611,023670,1107,312,717
2002668,371404,604560,226335,436324,886598,798668,431665,689576,658536,217529,475603,3636,472,154
2003659,943327,988392,363675,770660,647641,584655,060669,915640,918534,049609,723638,7067,106,666
2004383,676619,858670,831429,457494,807641,466639,495637,499657,645632,399678,152624,7617,110,046
2005572,172264,620370,953332,547535,716671,913708,256683,039644,925722,464537,604654,8306,699,039
2006469,660282,812482,381487,178551,345627,756697,236595,374623,681641,130665,286625,1946,749,033
2007458,424531,772407,459584,306626,137668,775612,109662,360651,027633,738672,419576,8147,085,340
2008375,059397,372457,036686,663705,323624,840709,923715,716631,597697,391643,677673,0247,317,621
2009417,796443,918384,220444,501405,887505,353588,817631,489635,711686,061644,015693,6766,481,444
2010435,594412,034433,599652,619711,952679,921719,898723,665570,873649,259586,714680,6597,256,787
2011437,302450,502647,039458,340495,875646,546645,163646,764647,981667,256558,440675,6676,976,875
2012451,980401,013349,374605,789703,619649,765678,785727,720669,136712,572626,653743,7997,320,205
2013709,899548,318436,782419,630393,665619,922679,403743,253642,453732,916621,870690,2997,238,410
2014534,949344,603639,295450,183286,048587,113466,092370,543244,127247,022392,454377,5064,939,935
2015458,555328,153338,570247,374307,023503,666547,214528,561535,086466,017233,831365,6084,859,658
2016272,871178,897217,034223,158466,190543,414617,404677,756519,535548,796338,510373,3344,976,899
2017448,843429,460395,089356,235543,397592,033662,933620,854592,989579,969620,175667,3676,509,344
2018436,005300,944499,424616,208569,643462,686643,897669,221639,473617,291666,096520,7826,641,670
2019571,530481,686317,028268,125492,822445,205599,811477,535485,133409,648501,284316,7565,366,563
2020439,857444,990311,850200,944272,560458,864519,223583,612357,494344,918522,848729,7455,186,905
2021558,710621,069465,640330,631299,028680,295739,397730,481560,869327,610271,034322,0495,906,813
2022489,615435,252280,724264,629176,109309,464463,008476,916283,419230,366287,517326,3704,023,389
2023174,275160,152220,172261,154431,237397,010572,809589,728509,881362,367239,662293,0934,211,540
2024660,934318,463165,707180,279259,343

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Lyn Jerde. "Groundbreaking marks air quality project at Columbia Energy Center". Portage Daily Register, October 10, 2016.
  2. Web site: Alliant Energy Corp, Form 10-K, Annual Report, Filing Date Mar 11, 2004 . secdatabase.com . May 14, 2018.
  3. http://www.secinfo.com/drvBg.228.htm SEC Form U-3A-2, 12/31/2002
  4. http://www.mgeenergy.com/images/PDF/AnnualReports/EnvRptClimateChange.pdf Environmental Responsibility Report on Climate Change
  5. Web site: Our history (Wisconsin Public Service). 2020-07-12. accel.wisconsinpublicservice.com.
  6. Web site: ERF - Search Result. 2020-07-12. apps.psc.wi.gov.
  7. Web site: ERF - Search Result. 2020-07-12. apps.psc.wi.gov.
  8. Web site: ERF - Search Result. 2020-07-12. apps.psc.wi.gov.
  9. Web site: POWER. 2015-10-01. TOP PLANTS: Columbia Energy Center, Portage, Wisconsin. 2020-07-12. POWER Magazine. en-US.
  10. News: Columbia power plant to close by 2025, ending coal-fired power in Portage . Hubbuch . Chris . 2021-02-02 . . 2021-02-02.
  11. News: We Energies and Alliant Energy coal plants in Wisconsin to stay open longer due to energy supply fears. Hess. Corrinne. 23 June 2022. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 24 June 2022.
  12. News: Schmidt . Mitchell . November 3, 2023 . Update: No more coal use by 2032 . The Wisconsin State Journal . A3,A5.
  13. Web site: Schulz . Joe . 2023-09-25 . Wisconsin will house an energy storage facility that's the first of its kind in the US . 2024-08-19 . WPR . en-US.
  14. Web site: Alliant Energy utility wants to demonstrate nation’s first CO2-based long-duration ‘energy dome’ . Utility Dive . 20 August 2024.
  15. Web site: Templeton . Carrie . August 7, 2024 . Joint Application of Wisconsin Power and Light Company, Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, and Madison Gas and Electric Company for a Certificate of Authority for Construction, Installation, and Ownership of an Energy Storage System, Known as Columbia Storage, in Columbia County, Wisconsin Docket No. 5-CE-156 . August 19, 2024.
  16. Septon, Greg. 2023. Wisconsin Falconwatch – 2023 Nesting Season Report - an account of peregrine falcon nesting activity in WI for 2023. Milwaukee, WI. 89 pp.
  17. Web site: Electricity Data Browser . 2023-01-15 . www.eia.gov.
  18. Web site: Electricity Data Browser . 2024-08-19 . www.eia.gov.

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