Concerned Citizens of Scott County will hold a public meeting to discuss the potential impacts of a natural gas power plant that Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) is proposing to build near Maysville.
In a Facebook announcement, the grassroots group said the public is invited to the meeting from 6 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the Scott County Library branch at 200 N. 6th Ave., Eldridge. The social media post describes it as a group of Scott County residents interested in being informed on community issues.
Concerned Citizens will bring in two guest speakers. Dr. Ross Burandt, a physician, will discuss potential health risks. Ray Wolf, a meteorologist, will discuss possible environmental impacts.
Interested citizens unable to attend are urged to visit Concerned Citizens of Scott County Iowa on Facebook to learn more.
CIPCO, a member-owned not-for-profit headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, announced plans last year to build a 240-megawatt natural gas-fired electric generating station in rural Scott County. The project is estimated at as much as $400 million. It will provide power to Iowans across 58 counties.
The citizens group has been strongly opposed to the project citing a variety of concerns. They include: the impact on nearby property values, public health and ecology; increased traffic; other environmental impacts; and the fact the proposed 90-acre site in Hickory Grove Township (Maysville) is zoned as agricultural-preservation land.
In a petition sent last October to the Scott County Board of Supervisors, the citizens group urged the county board to delay CIPCO’s request for a special permitted use for a Thermal Electric Energy Generation Facility. The group also asked the county board to require CIPCO to disclose projected emissions, emergency protocols and local economic contributions.
Group’s opposition
“As long-time residents, we are deeply concerned about the disproportionate burden this facility places on our community with minimal direct benefit,” Concerned Citizens wrote in a letter to both the county supervisors and the Scott County Planning & Zoning Commission.
The zoning amendment request was delayed after the group raised its concerns. The county board postponed discussion pending a written opinion from the Scott County Attorney’s Office.
Concerned Citizens’ following has grown to nearly 200 members since it created its Facebook group in November.
CIPCO ‘peaking plant’
According to data provided to the county board, CIPCO said “the facility is designed as a ‘peaking plant’ that operates when our Member-owners need it the most. The goal of natural gas peaking generation is not to run all the time.”
The project would consist of one combustion turbine generator with nearly 150-foot-tall exhaust stack. The plant’s footprint is expected to be placed on 30 acres of land. It will connect the generation station to the larger electrical grid.
Founded in 1946, CIPCO said it has “made strategic decisions about how to safely, reliably and affordably generate and transmit power throughout rural Iowa.” The proposed plant would serve Iowans throughout a 58-county service territory.
After a strategic planning process, the need to construct a new plant was ultimately determined by the CIPCO Board of Directors. It is made up of elected member-consumers representing each of its 13 distribution coops and associations.
Documents shared with the county board show the CIPCO board decided building a new generation facility was “in the best interest of their fellow member-consumers.”
CIPCO has operated a dispatch and transmission facility in Wilton, Iowa. It’s about 30 miles west of the Quad Cities. For more than 30 years it has provided wholesale power to Eastern Iowa Light & Power REC, which provides electricity to large portions of rural Scott County.
Station FAQs
In a fact sheet, the cooperative said the Hickory Grove Generating Station will:
- Generate safe and stable power using efficient, powerful, simple-cycle combustion turbine equipment.
- Preserve energy reliability. Adding natural gas peaking generation will bring a responsible balance of economy, flexibility and dependability to CIPCO’s resource portfolio.
- Promote a positive impact on neighboring communities. CIPCO said it is committed to working with surrounding landowners and transparently addressing community concerns.
- The plant originally was expected to go online in late 2029.
- Constructing the plant is estimated to cost between $350 million to $400 million.
- The project should create 200 jobs during the construction phase. Then, five to seven permanent jobs at the facility.
- Provide a net output of 240 MW of electricity with around-the-clock capacity.
- Through member-owners, CIPCO provides electricity to 58 Iowa counties stretching from the southwest corner to the northeast corner.
