POWER October 2021 - 36

TOP PLANT
Sustainability and Efficiency
Are Key Considerations at the
West Riverside Energy Center
Courtesy: HDR
The West Riverside Energy Center is a two-unit combined cycle power plant
located near Beloit, Wisconsin. Alliant Energy's state-of-the-art facility has
several important sustainability and efficiency features that make it a worthy
recipient of a 2021 POWER Top Plant award.
Aaron Larson
M
adison, Wisconsin-based Alliant
Energy serves nearly a million
electric customers and more
than 420,000 natural gas customers over
a 54,369-square-mile service territory
covering parts of Iowa and Wisconsin.
Alliant Energy aspires to achieve net-zero
carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity
it generates by 2050, and the company
created a Clean Energy Blueprint to
help guide the way.
The blueprint for Alliant Energy's Wisconsin
business focuses heavily on solar
power additions. The company plans to
add nearly 1,100 MW of solar generation in
Wisconsin by the end of 2023. Another key
feature of its roadmap involves the retirement
of coal-fired facilities. In May 2020,
Alliant Energy announced its plan to retire
the Edgewater Generating Station in Sheboygan
by the end of 2022, and this year
the company said it would retire two coalfired
units at the Columbia Energy Center.
The first will be closed by the end of 2023
and the second by the end of 2024. Those
retirements will mean the end of coal-fired
power generation in Alliant Energy's Wisconsin
generation portfolio.
Yet, the company is committed to delivering
affordable and reliable power to
meet the needs of customers. That's one
of the reasons why the West Riverside
Energy Center, a highly efficient 730-MW
combined cycle natural gas generating
station located near Beloit, Wisconsin, is
so important. The state-of-the-art station,
a 2021 POWER Top Plant award winner,
can ramp its output up and down quickly,
which nicely complements Alliant Energy's
transition to renewables.
36
Sound Due Diligence and
a High-Quality Team
Significant analysis went into the decision
to add West Riverside to the Alliant
Energy fleet. In fact, seeds for the station
were first planted back in November
2013, when the company formally began
a feasibility study to evaluate new generating
resource options. A request for
proposals was issued in June 2014. The
goal was not only to meet peak load requirements
for customers, but also to
maintain reserve margins required by
the Midcontinent Independent System
Operator (MISO).
After analyzing more than 30 proposals,
Alliant Energy decided construction
of a new, natural gas-fired combined
cycle plant owned and operated by the
company would best serve the interests
of customers. Alliant Energy was
ultimately joined by Adams-Columbia
Electric Cooperative, Central Wisconsin
Electric Cooperative, and Rock Energy
Cooperative as co-owners of the plant.
AECOM was selected as the engineering,
procurement, and construction
(EPC) contractor for West Riverside.
Contracts were signed and ground was
broken on the project in June 2016. AECOM's
scope included management, design,
supply, installation, and startup of
the facility. It self-performed some of the
work, while also hiring other subcontractors.
HDR contributed to the project as
the Owner's Engineer.
The plant uses two GE 7F.05 gas turbines
and a GE D602 steam turbine. The
turbine controls are GE Mark VI, and GE
also provides remote monitoring of the
turbines. An Emerson Ovation distributed
www.powermag.com
1. The West Riverside Energy Center's control
room is filled with display panels, allowing
operators to monitor every aspect of plant
operation. Courtesy: HDR
control system is used at West Riverside.
Alliant Energy worked closely with contractors
and labor unions to ensure that
the highly skilled labor resources needed
for the project were available. During construction,
more than 1,000 jobs were created
and millions of dollars were spent to
support Wisconsin businesses.
Encouraging a Safe Working
Environment
Much emphasis was placed on health
and safety programs during the project.
Contractors and subcontractors developed
comprehensive procedures; held
weekly training on common hazards
such as falls, trenching and excavation,
and exposure; and focused on proper
use of personal protection equipment.
Monthly site inspections were also performed
to ensure safety hazards were
identified and eliminated.
To promote safety on the project, the
general contractor entered the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration's
(OSHA's) Strategic Partnership Program.
The program provides opportunities for
employers and workers to partner with
OSHA to enhance workplace safety and
POWER | October 2021
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POWER October 2021

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