Owner: MidAmerican Energy Company
Rating: 870 MW (gross)
Location: Council Bluffs, Iowa
MidAmerican Energy Company broke ground in September, 2003 for a $1.2 billion electric generation project that will be the first in the United States to incorporate “advanced supercritical” technology.
The coal-fueled plant will be the biggest in Iowa’s history and the largest electric generation project globally for MidAmerican’s parent company, MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company. It is one of the largest construction projects to date in the Midlands area. The plant will be the fourth generating facility at the Council Bluffs Energy Center, adding capacity of 790 megawatts - enough to supply 650,000 homes - to the existing 820-megawatt capacity at the complex.
Mitsui & Company is responsible for managing the Council Bluffs construction project, while Hitachi is providing boilers, power turbines and other critical technology expertise. Both companies are based in Japan, a leader in the development of supercritical technology. The engineering firm of Sargent & Lundy, Chicago, is the design engineer. Kvaerner Songer from Washington, Pa., serves as the general work contractor.
Power Magazine's 2007 Plant of the Year
MidAmerican Energy's Walter Scott, Jr. Energy Center Unit 4: first supercritical plant in 16 years