Alliant Energy is pursuing a new site near Fairfax for a proposed natural gas-fired power plant, after a previous proposal to build the plant in Fairfax was dropped amid community pushback and safety concerns raised by the Eastern Iowa Airport.
Alliant spokesperson Taylor Adams said Thursday that the company has “secured purchase options” on a site up to 160 acres south of Highway 30 and east of Linn-Benton Road, northwest of Fairfax, to build the new gas-fired power plant.
“Through a thoughtful site selection process that considers a range of factors – including transmission access and available space – we are proposing a site in unincorporated Linn County,” Ms. Adams said. “The location is a cost‑effective option that represents long‑term value for our customers while aligning with the needs and priorities of the county and the broader community.”
The plant will be known as the Morgan Valley Energy Center, Ms. Adams said. The proposed site is in the vicinity of Morgan Valley Road and Morgan Bridge Road and south of the Morgan Creek Market.
“The Morgan Valley Energy Center is intended to serve Alliant Energy customers by providing safe, reliable, and cost‑effective energy,” Ms. Adams said.
There are currently no specific customers for the plant’s electrical output, Ms. Adams said, and no power purchase agreements have been reached. But officials have said that the power plant’s proposed location in Linn County is based, at least in part, on rising power demand from data centers under construction on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids.
Alliant had initially proposed to build the plant in the southeastern portion of Fairfax, but In the wake of concerns raised by Eastern Iowa Airport leaders and some Fairfax residents, Alliant announced in October it was “deprioritizing” the site as a proposed location.
The proposal has not yet been filed with the Iowa Utilities Commission, Ms. Adams said, but
Alliant and the IUC will host a public meeting on the proposal Monday, March 23 at 6 p.m. at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, 7725 Kirkwood Blvd. SW in Cedar Rapids. Ms. Adams said additional information about the project will be shared at that meeting.
