Like most energy companies across the country, Wisconsin's Alliant Energy aims to meet a growing demand from customers for greener power generation. The company took a huge step toward that goal with the 2020 opening of the West Riverside Energy Center. The projects submission for the awards calls the plant "likely the most environmentally friendly natural-gas-fired facility in the region, and perhaps the country." Using the latest 2-on-1 combined cycle technology, the $670 million WREC provides 730 MW of reliable power, enough to supply more than 550,000 homes, according to the submission. The successful endeavor earned the Bronze award. In 2014, Alliant realized it would need additional capacity to replace soon-to-be-retired coal-fired assets. The new facility, which is adjacent to the existing Riverside Energy Center and on the western edge of the company's 315-acre energy campus in Beloit, is significantly cleaner and more efficient than the facilities it replaced.
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