116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Proposal for gas-fired power plant in Fairfax raises concern with Eastern Iowa Airport
Plans had not been publicly disclosed prior to Monday morning commission meeting
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Members of the Cedar Rapids airport commission raised concerns this morning after an apparent plan by Alliant Energy to construct a gas-fired power plant on land adjacent to Fairfax.
While the plans for a facility had not yet been made public, airport commissioners expressed concerns to the proximity of the city’s airport.
Eastern Iowa Airport director Marty Lenss said the airport staff was made aware June 18 of a desire by Alliant Energy to build a gas fired power plant in Fairfax adjacent to the Travero facility. Details of the facility were not immediately available.
The site is located in close proximity to the data centers on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids.
Members of the airport commission agreed to pay Foth Infrastructure & Environment for a study looking at potential impacts of the proposed plant. The commission also said they want an open meeting with Alliant as soon as possible to ask questions about the project.
“This feels like a red line to me,” said airport commission chairman Barry Boyer.
While Alliant told the airport staff there are additional sites that are possible, Lenss said it is clear they are not really in play. Because of the tight timeline, Lenss said the airport cannot conduct adequate studies of potential impacts of a facility on their own.
“This site, because it’s a permanent facility – long-term ramifications for the airport, really bring in experts. We need help, based on this timeline, to get this done,” he told members of the commission.
The proposed facility would be four miles from the end of the main runway, less than three miles from the current secondary runway and less than two miles from the proposed future third runway.
“If the script were flipped and the power plant was sited first, we would not be siting the airport at its present location,” Lenss said.
Alliant was planning to go to the Iowa Utilities Commission as soon as October for approval of the plant, Lenss said.
Additionally, the commission adopted a lease amendment to lease an additional 86-acres of land at the intersection of land at 76th Ave. SW and Cherry Valley Rd. The additional leased land — now totaling 226 acres — translates to about $700,000 in additional revenue annually for a total of about $1.9 million.
This is a developing story. Click here for updates.
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