MidAmerican, Council Bluff’s Energy Center 4

STATUS:  In progress with opposition

OPPOSITION:  Plains Justice, Iowa Sierra Club

PROSPECTS:  Indeterminate

BACKGROUND:  Council Bluffs/Walter Scott, Jr. Energy Center Unit 4 is an operational coal plant near Council Bluffs, Iowa and the Missouri River. MidAmerican Energy began construction on the 790 MW coal plant in 2003. The plant began operating on June 1, 2007; Lincoln Electric System recently acquired 12.6% ownership of the plant. The facility was dedicated July 10 to Walter Scott Jr., long-time member of the Berkshire-Hathaway and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. Boards of Directors.

The Walter Scott Jr. Energy Center Unit 4 was featured in the August 2007 edition of the POWER magazine as being named the “2007 Plant of the Year.”  The plant was the first of its kind in the nation to employ advanced supercritical technology, has the capacity to produce enough electricity to power 650,000 homes and businesses. With this proven technology, producing steam at higher pressures and temperatures, carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by approximately 15 percent per megawatt of electricity generated compared to the last generation of coal-fueled power plants built in the 1970s and 1980s. This means less coal is required for the generation of an equivalent amount of electricity.  At an August 7th, 2007 event celebrating the completion of the facility, Governor Chet Culver and Congressman Steve King recognized the new unit as a reliable source of power for Iowa. Additional benefits will be seen in the positive economic impact to the area as Walter Scott, Jr. Unit 4 will contribute approximately $3.7 million annually in property taxes.

LINKS:
Coal-Gen Project Update
(http://www.hitachipowersystems.us/supportingdocs/forbus/hpsa/technical_papers/Coal_Gen_Paper_Council_Bluffs_Update_Final.pdf)

Power Magazine
(http://www.powermag.com/issues/cover_stories/MidAmericans-Walter-Scott-Jr-Energy-Center-Unit-4-earns-POWERs-highest-honor_210.html

CIPCO Presentation: Powering Iowa’s Future
(http://www.cipco.net/images/annual/2008PDF.pdf)