Alliant Energy issues 2017 Corporate Sustainability Report

MADISON, Wis., Aug. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alliant Energy showed its progress toward a sustainable future by reducing carbon emissions 34 percent since 2005 and increasing its investments in renewable energy. The company also cut fossil fuel generation water withdrawals by over 25 percent since 2005 with plans targeting a reduction of 75 percent by 2030.

Alliant Energy issued its 2017 Corporate Sustainability Report detailing the achieved results as it balances its energy portfolio to include even more clean energy resources and highlighting its collaborative stewardship efforts with customers, communities and employees. The report is available at alliantenergy.com/sustainability. Balancing economic, social and environmental factors remains an integral part of the company's operations and strategic plan.

"Sustainability means doing the right thing with an eye toward the long run," said Alliant Energy's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Patricia Kampling. "So our sustainability strategy looks into the future, promoting responsible company growth through the economic, social and environmental decisions we make today."

The company is transforming its generation profile to meet future customer needs in a sustainable way. Between 2005 and 2018, Alliant Energy will have permanently retired nearly 1,000 megawatts of coal-fired generation, and the company is planning to add over 1,000 megawatts of new, low-cost wind capacity by 2020. Cleaner natural gas facilities are also being brought into Alliant Energy's resource mix. Wind works hand-in-hand with natural gas facilities, which can adjust up and down quickly to provide reliable power as the wind increases or decreases.

In 2016, renewable energy made up 15 percent of Alliant Energy's rated electric capacity. By 2024, that is expected to nearly double as the company pursues new investments in wind and other renewable generation.

Key sustainability report highlights include:

• Saving over 212,000 megawatt-hours of electricity and over 4.3 million therms of natural gas in 2016 through investments in energy-efficiency programs. This is the equivalent of removing the greenhouse gas emissions from over 36,000 passenger vehicles driven for one year.
• Launching Iowa's largest solar project in Dubuque, which will include a pollinator-friendly prairie and have 20 beehives maintained by a local beekeeper.
• Reducing the emission of sulfur dioxide by 83 percent, nitrogen oxides by 76 percent and mercury by 95 percent since 2005.
• Earning the first-ever Envision^TM Platinum Award in Iowa for the new Marshalltown Generating Station. Envision is a sustainability rating system that evaluates an infrastructure project from design through construction and maintenance.
• Partnering with a college to transfer building ownership of a former Wisconsin coal-fired facility to allow its redevelopment into a student union and recreational facility.
• Investing in land options to create the Big Cedar Industrial Center in Iowa to bring new jobs and investment to the communities Alliant Energy serves.
• Giving more than $6 million in 2016 by the company and employees to support communities.
• Contributing more than $2 million to the Alliant Energy Hometown Care Energy Fund to help keep families safe and warm.
• Accomplishing gender parity on the Alliant Energy Board of Directors with 50 percent of members being women directors.

Other report areas include:

Safety: View information regarding employee safety performance and collaborative efforts to improve safety.

Workplace: Learn more about Alliant Energy's employee resource groups, worker volunteerism, training opportunities and diversity measures.

Reliability: Review planned investments to strengthen Alliant Energy's power grid and maintain safety in the company's natural gas infrastructure.

Alliant Energy Corporation (NYSE: LNT), headquartered in Madison, Wis., provides regulated electric and natural gas service to 960,000 electric and 410,000 natural gas customers across Iowa and Wisconsin. Alliant Energy's mission is to deliver the energy solutions and exceptional service customers and communities count on – safely, efficiently and responsibly. Interstate Power and Light Company and Wisconsin Power and Light Company are Alliant Energy's two public utility subsidiaries. Alliant Energy Corporation is a component of the S&P 500. For more information, visit alliantenergy.com.

Forward-looking statement
This news release includes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements can be identified as such because they describe future energy resource plans, future water withdrawals and future air emissions reductions. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated. Actual results could be affected by such factors as: state or federal regulatory actions or local government actions; ability to obtain adequate and timely rate relief; plan design changes; changes in tax and other laws to which Alliant Energy is subject including the impact of changes to production tax credits for wind projects; future changes in environmental laws and regulations, including the Environmental Protection Agency's regulations for carbon dioxide emissions reductions from new and existing fossil fueled electric generating units, and litigation associated with environmental requirements; current or future litigation, regulatory investigations, proceedings or inquiries that could impede the implementation of Alliant Energy's plans; Alliant Energy's continued access to capital markets; political conditions in Alliant Energy's service territories; and economic conditions in Alliant Energy's service territory. These factors should be considered when evaluating the forward-looking statements, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. The forward-looking statements included herein are made as of the date hereof, and Alliant Energy undertakes no obligation to update publicly such statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.  

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SOURCE Alliant Energy Corporation