The West Riverside Energy Center is an advanced technology, highly efficient natural gas facility near Beloit, Wis. The generating station produces enough power for more than 550,000 homes.
Economic benefits
The generating station represents a $670 million investment in the state and region. The facility delivers strong economic benefits to local communities. Local governments will receive more than $3 million annually in shared revenues via state payments from the generating station. The town of Beloit where the generating station is located will receive more than $1 million in added revenue from the facility.
Meeting customers’ needs
This new facility meets long-term customer energy needs and replaces power from the retirements of older, smaller and less efficient coal-fired and peaking units. It also complements our growing investments in clean energy. The generating station’s technology allows it to adjust up and down quickly to ensure reliability when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining.
Environmental impact
The West Riverside Energy Center emits less than half the carbon dioxide (CO2), about two-thirds less nitrogen and 99% less sulfur and mercury than traditional coal-fired facilities. We’ve also built an integrated solar facility as part of the project. The clean energy from the sun will be delivered to the natural gas facility and offset its auxiliary power needs.
Sustainability
The generating station, and the 90-acre site, was designed with sustainability in mind to promote community, environmental and economic benefits. In fact, the West Riverside Energy Center has already received several awards and recognitions including:
- The Envision Platinum award for sustainable infrastructure – the highest attainable Envision recognition level.
- The 2022 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Bronze Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers.
- The 2021 Grand Award for Engineering Excellence from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Wisconsin.
- The 2021 POWER Top Plant Award from POWER magazine.
- A 2019 Recycling Excellence Award from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.