6 days Ago By DAVID HOTLE [email protected]
Muscatine Power and Water has received a required state certificate for its EcoGen 10 project as it moves forward with the new generating facility. The certificate of public convenience, use and necessity comes from the Iowa Utilities Commission and is required for construction on a new electric plant. The project, which will construct a new 35-megawatt combined heat and power, or CHP, generating facility, has received endorsements from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy and the Iowa Economic Development Authority due to its efficient use of energy.
While the certification was expected to take 18 months, it was approved in less than four. No objections were filed against the project. Muscatine Power and Water's EcoGen 10 project is expected to come online in 2028.
“We’ve had some pretty big milestones lately,” MPW general manager Gage Huston said. “It's great to see it keep moving forward.” The plant will be located on about five acres of MPW’s generation site.
The $90 million project is expected to come online in late 2028. Huston also said MPW is expecting about $8 to $12 million in tax credits for the project, which he said would go right back to the customers. The co-generation system the project is based on is one of the most efficient ways of using natural gas.
It includes a combustion turbine on the front, which turns an electric generator. The hot exhaust gases produced are captured and put in a boiler, which produces processed steam for customers. Huston commented that a customer right next to the plant site — GPC — uses processed steam and a large natural gas main runs very close to the plant.
EcoGen 10 will be capable of co-firing up to 10% hydrogen blends with about 75% efficiency. Huston said MPW has experience running a co-generation system in the past. In 2024, MPW was able to secure the long-term steam sales agreement, get approval from the MPW board to move ahead with the project, start design and procurement as well as regulatory approval, Huston said.
Most of the largest pieces of the project have already been ordered. “The CHP unit’s efficient design and its ability to produce steam energy for our industrial customer make it an ideal addition to our power generation portfolio,” said Greg Slonka, director of power production and supply. “This project will reduce fuel supply costs, lower emissions and bolster grid reliability.
By leveraging natural gas and the flexibility to incorporate hydrogen blends, we are taking a significant step towards a more sustainable future for Muscatine.” Multiple power supply studies have concluded that a CHP unit is the most compatible with MPW’s generating needs. “We are excited to move forward with this project and continue to provide reliable and efficient energy to our community,” Slonka said.
Ground preparation for MPW’s Unit 10 has already begun with construction activity gearing up this year. MPW intends to utilize a portion of the infrastructure supporting retired generation Unit 8A to support Unit 10’s grid interconnection, ensuring a seamless transition and further enhancing the efficiency of its operations. “A lot of work and study have gone into this project over the past few years and we’re proud of our progress with Unit 10," Huston said.
"This new addition to our generating assets reflects our ongoing efforts to innovate and adapt to the evolving energy landscape." Adding more renewable energy is also in the works, with the 24- Megawatt Muscatine Solar 1 currently going through permitting processes. MPW remains hopeful that grid interconnection permits will be granted allowing the project to start construction.
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