Environmental Benefits

A natural gas-fired plant to meet the future needs of the campus would be one of the most efficient power plants in the state.

The plant would produce steam for heating and chilled water for air-conditioning buildings on the UW–Madison campus. The plant’s two combustion turbines will also produce 90 to 100 megawatts of electricity for the Madison area.

Efficiency
The cogeneration process has little waste. Heat from burning natural gas will run turbines that generate electricity for MGE’s customers. The remaining heat will then produce steam that will be used to heat or air-condition buildings on campus. The highly efficient cogeneration plant uses significantly less fuel than separate heating and electric power plants. This efficient use of fuel produces markedly fewer greenhouse gases.

Low emissions
The facility will be one of the cleanest power plants in Wisconsin. The plant will have minimal impact on the environment. A natural gas-fired cogeneration facility has low emissions, offsets reliance on coal and produces fewer greenhouse gases.

In addition, the plant will have a state-of-the-art system to control nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. A selective catalytic reduction unit operates like a catalytic converter on an automobile. SCR attacks the NOx gas after it has been formed, converting it back into nitrogen and oxygen before it is released into the air. The SCR will keep the NOx emissions to four parts per million.

Offset coal
MGE will operate the cogeneration facility as a base-load plant — meaning it will run nearly all the time to meet the demand for electricity. UW–Madison will benefit from the constant supply of steam and will rely less on its coal-burning plant on Charter Street. Natural gas is lower in sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and other emissions compared to coal.

The design of the plant is still under consideration. A study will review designs that are compatible with the campus setting.

The new power plant will require approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and other units of government. Depending on the approval process, construction could begin in summer 2002 with the plant coming on line 18 to 24 months later.