There is no ideal place to site a new power plant, as Alliant Energy and any energy company knows well.
Alliant Energy has been working to build Morgan Valley Energy Center, a new natural gas fired power plant in the center of the Corridor, and appears set on a location off Highway 30 in an unincorporated area near the Linn-Benton county line.
We should be thankful that Alliant Energy is working to build new electrical generation facilities for the region. Building something relatively near where there is significant economic growth only makes sense.
Alliant Energy originally wanted to site the facility close to the Eastern Iowa Airport. After pushback from airport leaders and this editorial page, the company prudently decided to find another location.
The good news is that the Corridor’s population and economic base are growing and warrant more electrical generation and grid stability. The Corridor, which comprises the seven counties of Kirkwood Community College’s service territory, grew 7.6%, or 33,282 residents, from 2010 to 2024, far outpacing Iowa’s growth of 4.7% from 2010 to 2020. That growth demonstrates the need for more electricity to keep pace with rising demand.
And Alliant Energy is helping make that happen.
Alliant Energy said “the project is part of our long-term planning to maintain reliable, resilient, and cost-effective energy service through a balanced portfolio as electricity demand continues to grow across Eastern Iowa.”
It shouldn’t be forgotten that Alliant Energy agreed to a five-year base rate moratorium, which keeps base rates stable until at least late 2029.
Unfortunately, the newly proposed natural gas fired facility is being linked politically to the burgeoning data centers under construction nearby and the potential restart of the Duane Arnold Energy Center, especially after Linn County Board of Supervisors Chair Kirsten Running-Marquardt criticized the proposed plant during the annual State of Linn County address on June 11.
“Maybe if this power was needed for our residents, it would be easier for me to support this project,” Ms. Running-Marquardt said. “But this gas plant, for me, has been a dedicated use only for providing power for the Google and QTS data centers currently under construction in southwest Cedar Rapids, benefiting and profiting only QTS, Google and Alliant.”
Alliant Energy representatives refuted her comments and said the proposed 720-megawatt natural gas fired power plant is needed “to support long-term energy security and reliability for our customers,” not for any specific end user.
Nobody wants a new power plant in their backyard. But we need more electricity, and it has to be built somewhere. Alliant Energy has been responsive and moved the proposed facility to a new location, further from the airport and surrounding neighborhoods.
Alliant Energy is investing in this region, and we should be supporting that investment. Their success and ours are inextricably linked. Let us support this project.
