- Alliant Energy plans to build the first CO2 energy storage system in the United States.
- The project will be located at the Columbia Energy Center near Portage.
- Alliant projects a $90 million investment with construction set for 2026-2027.
- Storage system will have enough energy to power 18,000 homes for 10 hours.
With approval from state regulators secured, a Madison-based utility is readying a 200-megawatt-hour carbon dioxide-based energy storage project in Columbia County.
Alliant Energy on Friday announced plans for the Columbia Energy Storage Project are advancing after approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. Using components by vendor Energy Dome, the project will use carbon dioxide to release and store energy when needed by the grid. It’s the first of its kind in the United States and construction is expected to begin in 2026, utility officials said.
When everything is finalized with a contractor and engineer, Alliant will build its storage system south of Portage in the town of Pacific, Wis. The energy storage system will be tied to the Columbia Energy Center, which is currently a coal-fired plant. In 2024, the utility said it will explore converting at least one of its units to natural gas before the end of 2029…