MUSCATINE, Iowa–Over the past several months, Muscatine Power and Water has presented information about two of their current initiatives, updating their Powering the Future energy plan for providing affordable, flexible, reliable, and sustainable electricity to Muscatine and finishing the restructuring of their internet offerings to make higher speeds more affordable and to phase out some of the slower, less used speed options. At their March board of trustees meeting, Muscatine Power and Water presented and gained approval for the next steps for both these projects.
As Muscatine Power and Water evaluated their power production options to determine if their original Powering the Future plans needed adjustments to keep up with changes in the energy market, they conducted a new power supply study, which yielded several options that though each had their tradeoffs had potential advantages. After careful consideration, Muscatine Power and Water elected to investigate installing a combined heat and power natural gas generation unit under 50 megawatts, adding an additional 76 megawatts of solar to supplement the 24 megawatts they already have slated for construction, and continuing to run Unit 9 on coal for the foreseeable future.
Though choosing this mix of generation resources proved challenging, Muscatine Power and Water General Manager Gage Houston found it the most advantageous for several reasons. By building a combined heat and power unit under 50 megawatts by 2028, Muscatine Power and Water can qualify for incentives through the Inflation Reduction Act. They will also have the flexibility to power it with natural gas now and convert it to green hydrogen in the future as that technology becomes available. As he put it, “making this investment in the natural gas unit doesn’t mean it couldn’t go carbon free.”
With additional solar, Muscatine Power and Water will increase renewable energy to about 25 to 30% of its portfolio, which will in turn increase their sustainability. Though they will have to find an additional piece or pieces of land for their next installations, Huston believed they could find a location nearby to simplify connecting it up.
age Huston and Muscatine Power and Water’s leadership team discussing their goals, including those for the electric and internet utilities at the Power Breakfast in February. File Photo by Margaret Hurlbert.
By keeping Unit 9 in service longer, even as Units 7 and 8 phase out and the combined heat and power unit takes over for them, Huston sees Muscatine Power and Water continuing to generate more electricity than Muscatine currently needs, providing leeway for future growth. “It’s good for our local economy and our local community to have that growth,” he observed.
As the electric utility continues to adapt to changes in energy markets, the internet utility has reconfigured itself to adjust to the way people use the internet now. After the positive reception of the first phase of its internet restructure, members of several different departments came together to expedite the next phase of the process, eliminating the need for a third phase.
Beginning in May, the utility will eliminate their 50 megabit internet plan, charging those who have it their current monthly rate to move to 100 megabit service. Customers now at the 100 and 250 megabit service levels may move up to the next level of service for the cost of their current plan. Gigabit service now costs under $100, making it more accessible. Download and upload speeds will also reach parity, making processes such as gaming and streaming faster. For the lightest internet users, the 15 megabit lifeline service will remain unchanged.
A major achievement, Marketing and Sales Manager Mitch Zytnowski shared Muscatine Power and Water’s excitement in this step. “Our goal is to provide an excellent experience,” he stated. In the future, Zytnowski shared the utility plans to investigate adding five and 10 gigabit packages as well.
