State of utility industry confusing, Iowa Power and Light Co. head says

The utility industry is in a state of transition, according to Doug Kopp, president of the Alliant Energy's Iowa Power and Light Co.

Kopp spoke during Alliant's 2014 Energy Summit at the Cedar Rapids Convention Center on Tuesday.

He said that the growing natural gas industry, changing environmental regulations and uncertainty in the public policy arena have pushed Alliant Energy to 'read tea leaves” and forecast what will be asked of it in the future.

'(The strategic plan) has been very helpful for us as rules have come to pass,” Kopp said.

Part of the plan calls for retiring older coal-fired plants, retrofitting larger coal-fired generating stations to reduce emissions and increase efficiency, and constructing a natural gas-fired generating station in Marshalltown.

Kopp said the utility has relied heavily on coal in the past and it realizes the importance of transforming plants to natural gas and having a more balanced portfolio.

The plan also helped the Madison, Wis.-based utility holding company prepare for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new mercury and air toxins standards that will go into effect starting April 2015, They will require coal- and oil-fired plants to reduce air pollution.

'We know this won't be the last rule,” Kopp said, explaining the EPA will most likely make rulings on water and coal-ash in the near future.

'And we will have to decide as a company how we want to comply,” Kopp said. 'Right now, we have to read tea leaves that aren't really tea leaves.”

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