(Des Moines)– The debate has started over the proposed sale of Iowa’s only nuclear power plant.
Alliant Energy’s Interstate Power and Light wants to sell its majority ownership in the Duane Arnold Energy Center near Palo to a Florida-based company.
F-P-L Energy has offered to buy the plant for about 380 million dollars.
A hearing is underway this week before the Iowa Utilities Board.
Alliant Energy maintains the regulatory proceeding is a “reorganization” of the plant’s ownership that will depend on whether state regulators find the sale avoids any negative consequences for ratepayers.
The state’s Office of Consumer Advocate claims that a rate case is exactly what’s at stake because Alliant is proposing substantial increases to cover the costs of continuing to buy power from the plant from F-P-L Energy through 2013.
(Story from the Associated Press.).
