IMPA evaluates its generation portfolio on a regular basis to ensure member needs are being met. IMPA and its members own 811 MW of generation and reached a peak demand of 1135 MW in 2006. The Agency is currently participating in the development and construction of an additional 200 MW of coal-fired generation through the Prairie State Energy Campus.

Prairie State Energy Campus

IMPA has joined with several other Midwest joint action agencies and rural electric cooperatives to acquire a majority ownership in the Prairie State Energy Campus, being developed by Prairie State Generating Company, a subsidiary of Peabody Energy. The site will include two 790 MW supercritical coal-fired generating units in Washington County, Illinois. In addition, the project includes on-site coal reserves and coal mines that will provide fuel to the generating units. The first unit is expected to be completed by December 2011 and the second by August 2012. Prairie State will provide approximately 200 MW of low-cost electricity to IMPA’s members.

Prairie State’s use of state-of-the-art emission control technologies will make it among the cleanest major coal plants east of the Mississippi River. Its emissions will be dramatically better than the averages for U.S. coal plants and even proposed emission limits into the future. In fact, Prairie State’s advanced technology will reduce sulfur dioxide emissions to less than one-fifth of the national average emissions for existing coal-fired plants.

Using an innovative application of technologies including nitrogen oxide controls, selective catalytic reduction systems, dry electrostatic precipitators, sulfur dioxide scrubbers and wet electrostatic precipitators, Prairie State is among a new generation of coal-fired power plants designed to provide low-cost energy while achieving the nation’s environmental goals.

An official groundbreaking ceremony was held on October 1, 2007 at the site and construction has begun on the plant. For additional information about the Prairie State Energy Campus, visit www.PrairieStateEnergyCampus.com.

Prairie State represents a secure and reliable electricity source for IMPA members. While reserves of low-cost baseload electricity generation is shrinking in the region, this project offers piece of mind very near the Agency’s loads. The addition of this plant also promotes IMPA’s philosophy of a diverse portfolio of resources, reducing the Agency’s exposure to unplanned outages, catastrophic equipment failures, strikes and unexpected increases in fuel costs. Prairie State will provide low-cost electricity in an environmentally-responsible manner for decades to come.