Despite some controversy, the UW System Board of Regents has approved a proposal by Madison Gas and Electric to build a $185 million cogeneration power plant, which will generate electricity and steam and chilled air as by-products, on the west side of the UW-Madison campus.
According to officials, the plant will not only supply electricity to future and existing university facilities, but also steam and chilled water necessary for critical research projects.
Alan Fish, UW-Madison vice chancellor of facilities planning and management, said the university and MGE have been planning the project for six or seven years.
\We asked our engineers to come up with a projection of how much energy we need to heat and cool our buildings. Basically, they found we'll run out of steam and chilled water by 2005,"" he said.
The school relies on a constant source of steam and chilled water, usually created as a by-product of generating electricity, to heat and cool buildings. New campus buildings funded by the Biostar Initiative, a $317 million biotechnology project, will put more pressure on Madison's already unreliable source of energy, Fish said.
Even though multiple power plant smokestacks are scattered across Madison's skyline, MGE officials said they currently import 85 percent of Madison's electricity, and the current UW-Madison power plant on Walnut Street will not be able to support future energy needs.
Donald Peterson, MGE's executive director of the project, said reliance on imported electricity is always unsafe.
""Maybe Madison won't have electric generating problems, but if [other plants] have problems, so will we.""
According to Fish, UW-Madison cannot afford power problems because of the school's sensitive research projects.
""You can't have a blackout or a brownout when you're dealing with stem cells,"" the vice chancellor said.
Thus, the Regents approved a joint proposal between MGE and UW-Madison in June 2002 to build a cogeneration plant, which will supplement the schools steam and chilled air capacity.
As the university does not currently have the money to pay for the project, UW-Madison Vice Chancellor of Administration John Torphy said state funding will hopefully pay for almost $85 million of UW-Madison's share. Therefore, construction will not affect tuition.
""If we don't get the additional dollars as part of the budget it would not be possible to go forward with the payments,"" Torphy said.
MGE will provide the remaining $100 million required to build the plant. The company will use the plant to supply Madison homes with electricity. MGE spokesperson Stephan Kraus said customers could expect to see an increase in their electric bill because of the power plant, but promises the plant will be the ""the cleanest, most efficient power plant in Wisconsin.""
MGE plans to tap into a natural gas pipeline already in place at the proposed site, next to the existing coal-fire plant on Walnut Street, in order to minimize environmental impact and construction costs.
Peterson said burning natural gas instead of other fossil fuels would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 15 percent a year and reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 80 percent.
Officials said the plant would meet all air pollution standards set by the Clean Air Act.
The members of the Regent Neighborhood Association, who live near the area the power plant will be built, have questioned the safety of the plants emissions.
Brian Stone, a spokesperson for the group, said the neighborhood does not want to shoulder the effects of multiple power plants in one location. He said the neighborhood is barely meeting the current standard for air pollution, and a new standard is set to be in effect after 2004.
""If this facility only barely complies with the old standard, it is very unlikely that it will comply with the new standard,"" Stone said.
Stone also warned students to be wary of the health effects of the plant.
""The highest ground level concentration of [particulate matter] will be found about 1000 meters from the stack base, right on top of some student dormitories,"" he said.
The RNA Board is also concerned about the amount of water pumped from Lake Mendota to the plant and its subsequent effects on the Yahara River system.
The proposed power plant will consume an additional two to four million gallons of water from Lake Mendota everyday, but ""to put it in perspective,"" Fish said, ""about 80 million gallons evaporate over Lake Mendota on a summer day.""
Ken Johnson, Department of Natural Resources supervisor for the Lower Rock Basin, said MGE has come up with a comprehensive and sensible plant to supplement the river system with ground and storm water. Johnson said the DNR plans to grant MGE a permit.
""The proposal they're coming forward with will protect the public interest,"" he said.
The RNA's main concern, however, is the proposed size of the plant. The group said a 150-megawatt plant not only exceeds UW-Madison's steam and chilled water needs, it also surpasses Madison's electric requirements.
As Madison only has 90,000 households, Stone said, it does not need a power plant that is capable of supplying 150,000 homes with electricity. The group said a 4.5-acre power plant and its 15 story smokestacks also promises to be a protuberant landmark in the region.
MGE cites the city's increasing population and electricity use as the driver for the size of the project.
RNA President Elaine Glowacki said the RNA is not opposed to the plant but would like to change the current proposal.
The state is currently reviewing the budget proposal, and construction of the plant is set to begin in June.
