Dairyland Power Cooperative announced it has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire the RockGen Energy Center, a 503 megawatt natural gas power plant located in Cambridge. The operation has been an affiliate of Starwood Energy Group Global, LLC.
"RockGen will help meet our members' power supply needs as we transition to more renewable resources," said Dairyland CEO Brent Ridge. "Safely delivering reliable and sustainable electricity to our members is critical as we continue to diversify Dairyland's energy portfolio and lower carbon intensity. With the closing of our coal-fired Genoa Station #3 this year, the availability of this existing, low-cost and reliable facility in Wisconsin is both timely and a good strategic fit for our power supply portfolio."
Operational since 2001, the RockGen Energy Center is a simple-cycle, dual fuel power generating facility that operates mainly on natural gas. The three 168 MW low-NOx combustion turbines can ramp up and down quickly to support intermittent solar and wind resources.
Re-commissioning was completed at the facility last year to allow operation on fuel oil as a backup fuel source.
The deal is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Categories: Wisconsin, Business, Energy