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CIPCO & Corn Belt Partner on Sutherland Power Plant  Iowa’s electric cooperatives are securing Iowa’s economic future by investing in a new power generation facility to be located near Marshalltown. With more power generation needed in the coming years, Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) and Corn Belt Power Cooperative have entered into an agreement with Alliant Energy to invest $1.5 billion to construct the Sutherland Generating Station. The new plant will be a 630 MW generating facility and is scheduled to be operational in 2013. CIPCO and Corn Belt are ownership partners in the project, each owning 100 MW of production.
Economic Impact: The new facility will meet the demand of Iowa’s growing energy needs serving customers in 94 of Iowa’s 99 counties. This project will bring more than 1,000 construction jobs to Marshalltown and will create 80 new high-paying jobs once the plant begins operating. Reliability: The Sutherland generation station is needed for continued economic growth. Investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy will continue, but that alone cannot provide a base load energy supply to meet growing demand. Efficiency: The new facility will be a high-efficient hybrid fuel plant making use of renewable resource fuels such as switch grass or corn stalks. Incorporating the latest technology, the plant will be the cleanest and most efficient coal plant in Iowa. Once completed, the new Sutherland Plant will allow older and less efficient power stations to be taken off line. “The new plant will be a 630 MW generating facility and is scheduled to be operational in 2013. CIPCO and Corn Belt Power are ownership partners in the project each owning 100 MW of production. Without the Sutherland project the alternative would be to purchase power from the often volatile open market, which is not in the best interest of our customers or the State of Iowa,” said Dusky Terry, Public Affairs Strategist for CIPCO. Iowa Area Development Group is proud of our sponsoring electric cooperative members that are taking bold and confident steps to secure the energy needs of Iowans. This leadership position will maintain Iowa’s strong economic climate for our companies and industries that make Iowa’s economy work.
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