By Tom Ackerman
The first new power plant since 1925 will go under construction on campus this year.
As buildings sprout at the University of Iowa, demand has created a need for a new plant, which will begin its construction this spring on the West Side of campus.
Specifically, the addition will fill to the need for greater power in supplying hospital facilities, including the new Children’s Hospital as it develops for its finish this August.
Ben Anderson, the current plant’s manager, said there’s no real energy concern until 2020, when more buildings are completed, though steam boilers on the West Side are in the process of being retired, making the demand for energy greater.
The project is funded for $75 million, which Anderson said is a strict budget considering current costs. The current plant is also making renovations to meet federal air regulations, which will total $18.87 million.
The state Board of Regents approved the increase from $15.8 million at the recent meeting on campus, which brought the price up $3.7 million.
Ben Fish, the associate director of utilities and energy management, said the project must to be completed by September to meet the regulations.
“The placing of the new equipment was going to take some more time than we had initially anticipated,” he said.
The sale of energy to other buildings on campus makes up the funds for the budget, though bonds have also been issued to account for the increased prices.
Time constraints and the decision to keep the plant running during the process further raise the prices, officials said.
Anderson said the plant will be located by the Finkbine commuter lot near the hospital backup generator.
The new plant’s location alleviates risk for future flood damages in the area; the 2008 flood remains a sore reminder to those looking to build new structures in the community.
“We learned during the 2008 flood that the existing system is not as reliable as it could be,” said Milt Dakovich, the head of the regents’ of the property and facilities committee. “Having two locations will create a redundancy that will be beneficial in the case of a natural disaster or other unforeseen situations,” he said.
In addition, the new plant will be operated on natural gas and have an option for biofuel, which will be grown in the region.
The project is called Biomass Fuel Project and is run by UI students and the Office of Sustainability, who have teamed up with partners, including those at Iowa State University, who have a large agriculture focus.
“The facility will also have the ability to provide back-up electrical generation,” Dakovich said.”
“[It] will allow us to obtain lower rates from the local electricity provider,” he said for when electricity consumption is especially high.
Anderson said there is potentially concern in the present timeline for construction, though maintenance of the plant on Burlington Street will be the main focus for now.
