Alliant Gets Verbal Approval for $512M LNG Plant in Rock County

Alliant Energy has received verbal approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin for its $512 million liquified natural gas (LNG) plant in Rock Township, Rock County.

The facility will store, pretreat, liquefy and vaporize natural gas to be used during peak power demand times. It will have a capacity of 2 billion cubic feet, which is enough to power roughly 1 million homes for a year.

Becky Valcq, President of Wisconsin Power & Light, said in a news release that the company is grateful for the PSC's thorough review and sees this investment as an important step in strengthening energy infrastructure. The project would employ up to 350 people during construction, but only eight to 16 employees will be needed to operate it once it's online.

The LNG plant is a relatively new trend in the power industry, with the US being the world's largest exporter of LNG. Wisconsin already has several LNG facilities, including those operated by We Energies in Jefferson and Walworth counties.