Power from fossil fuels will feed data centers
Iowa residents are opposing new natural-gas power plants that they say are being built largely to supply the state’s growing data center industry. The article argues that MidAmerican Energy and Interstate Power and Light are pursuing fossil-fuel generation instead of renewable energy, raising concerns about utility costs, pollution, water quality and public health.
Residents in Newhall petitioned against a proposed Alliant Energy natural-gas power plant, with opponents arguing that the facility is needed primarily to serve data centers. The article says Iowa has more than 100 data centers operating, planned or under construction and contends that the state’s major utilities are using demand from those facilities to justify new coal- and gas-fired generation.
MidAmerican Energy plans to keep five coal plants operating and add substantial methane-gas capacity by 2035, while Interstate Power and Light is awaiting Iowa Utilities Commission approval for two large gas plants in Linn and Cerro Gordo counties. Pam Mackey Taylor of the Iowa Sierra Club argues that fossil-fuel expansion will increase costs and worsen air and water pollution, while the article advocates for Iowa’s continued investment in wind and solar power.