Paring power plan is a dim-bulb idea
11:47 PM 1/12/03

State administrators must have their wires crossed: They're set to dial back or switch off plans for a critically needed Madison power plant.

This stance is stunningly short-sighted. Delaying or scaling back a power station proposed for the west end of UW-Madison will lead to power shortages in Madison, curtail research expansion at the university and set the stage for endless political battles over multiple smaller plants or transmission lines that inevitably will be needed to keep the lights on in Dane County.

The natural gas-fueled plant would be an economically sensible, environmentally friendly "cogeneration unit," meaning that it would provide steam and chilled water to heat and cool campus buildings as well as generate up to 150 megawatts of electricity, enough to light 75,000 to 100,000 homes.

State officials and some other critics think the proposed plant too big. Think again. A "cogeneration" station would cover our primary and backup energy needs not just for today but into the future.

Too expensive? More like a bargain. The state is expected to kick in a total of about $80 million, but paid over time so that the cost is $9-10 million a year. Madison Gas & Electric, as a joint owner, will cover the rest of the $180 million bill and also operate the plant.

Smokestacks belching greenhouse gases? No. Fired by natural gas, not coal, the plant would be one of the cleanest and most efficient power plants in the state.

Noise? Nope. Plant engineers expect a measurable but almost imperceptible increase in noise; the plant would easily meet a local noise ordinance.

Bad location? Again, no. The proposed campus site is right next door to the existing UW-Madison Walnut Street power station - on land designated for plant expansion under a UW-Madison master plan.

Water problems? Not likely. The Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission worries about the plant's estimated average draw of 1 million gallons of water a day from Lake Mendota. But MGE says it could treat water and recycle it back into the watershed.

Given the overwhelming evidence favoring construction, its hard to believe either the Wisconsin Public Service Commission or state Department of Administration could reject the project.

Nevertheless, state officials seem to be in the dark. And among Madison mayoral candidates, only Paul Soglin seems to recognize that a local energy crisis looms in the next three to five years. The fact is, the Madison area currently imports 85 percent of the electricity it consumes. Producing more power locally will be cheaper and smarter than buying it from utilities elsewhere.

The state should charge up this plan and let us reap the power of its results.