Wisconsin Power and Light dealt wind farm setback

Madison, Wisconsin - Alliant Energy still plans to build a large wind farm in Fond du Lac County even though it is "disappointed" by a Public Service Commission of Wisconsin ruling regarding its financing.

Wisconsin Power & Light Co., Alliant's state utility unit, had applied for a permanent 12.9 percent rate of return for the Cedar Ridge Wind Farm under Act 7, a 2005 state law that provides for setting permanent rates of return for individual utility projects such as power plants and wind farms.

The law is designed to provide a degree of certainty to a utility, investors, and ratepayers on the recovery of a facility's costs.

The PSC issued a preliminary, oral decision setting the rate of return for Cedar Ridge at 10.5 percent for its 20-year life.

"We are disappointed in the terms of the PSCW's decision and we believe that the decision is contrary to the intention of Wisconsin Act 7 to encourage investment in new generation, including renewable energy," William D. Harvey, Alliant chairman, president and CEO, said in a statement. "WP&L will review the final order and communicate whether or not it intends to make the investment in accordance with the terms and conditions of the PSCW's Act 7 decision."

Alliant also can choose to let the project fall under its overall rate of return, which is set annually by the PSC. Alliant's 2007 rate of return is 11.2 percent.

The choice is "kind of like the difference between a fixed-rate mortgage and an ARM (adjustable rate mortgage)," Alliant spokeswoman Erin Dammen said.

Dammen said Alliant would make its decision after the PSC issues its final, written order on the rate of return for Cedar Ridge under the Act 7 application.

Not moving forward with the project is "an absolute last resort if we could not justify going forward with the project from a financial perspective," Dammen said. "Right now we are only considering the options that would allow us to continue with the project, either by financing through Act 7 or through traditional rate base."

Alliant also is waiting for the PSC decision on its application to construct the 60- to 99-megawatt wind farm.

Related News

renewable power fuel cell

New fuel cell could help fix the renewable energy storage problem

LONDON - If we want a shot at transitioning to renewable energy, we’ll need one crucial thing: technologies that can convert electricity from wind and sun into a chemical fuel for storage and vice versa. Commercial devices that do this exist, but most are costly and perform only half of the equation. Now, researchers have created lab-scale gadgets that do both jobs. If larger versions work as well, they would help make it possible—or at least more affordable—to run the world on renewables.

The market for such technologies has grown along with renewables: In 2007, solar and wind provided just 0.8%…

READ MORE
bc hydro meter

Wasteful air conditioning adds $200 to summer energy bills, reveals BC Hydro

READ MORE

powerlines

Kyiv warns of 'difficult' winter after deadly strikes

READ MORE

lake erie connector

The CIB and private sector partners to invest $1.7 billion in Lake Erie Connector

READ MORE

power lines

Competition in Electricity Has Been Good for Consumers and Good for the Environment

READ MORE