State to evaluate options for Madison coal fired power plant

Seth Nowak; Clean Wisconsin Volunteer

On January 10, 2007 one of Clean Wisconsin's Clean Energy goals moved a step closer to realization. The State of Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) announced a multi-stakeholder study to analyze options for the Capitol Heat and Power plant in central Madison. The State has taken the lead to bring together the City of Madison, Dane County, and Madison Gas and Electric to look into near-term and long-term approaches to make the plant cleaner and more efficient.

The study could be a big opportunity for cleaner energy, air, and water in our capital city. The Capitol Heat and Power facility is a century old and has no modern pollution controls. While the name includes "power", virtually all the coal burned at the plant is used for heating large government buildings surrounding the Capitol Square.

DOA explicitly mentioned that cogeneration will be examined in the study. Cogeneration, also called combined heat and power, refers to producing electricity, steam, and chilled water at the same plant. Cogeneration is a proven technology that can be three times as efficient as burning coal to produce electricity alone.

The DOA's announcement was packed with references to environmental protection as a primary purpose of the study. Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk said the study would explore "energy efficient, environmentally sensitive options." Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz called it "an important step forward in improving our air quality". Robert Cramer, administrator of the DOA Division of State Facilities, expects the study will "find ways to reduce emissions".

The announcement is also good news for the Madison Area Clean Energy Coalition (MACEC). Clean Wisconsin has been working with MACEC for over a year along with more than a dozen other health, environmental, and community organizations to advocate for cleaner, greener, more efficient energy solutions for Dane County.

Community involvement is essential; join our email list to stay updated on important actions you can take to by contacting Laurie Maloney at lmaloney@cleanwisconsin.org.