WI natural gas storage facility in Ixonia; innovation and controversy
IXONIA, Wis. - Construction on a natural gas storage facility in Jefferson County is nearing completion. Even so, the project is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of those who live nearby.
In Ixonia in Jefferson County, grain bins and conveyors were the tallest things around. But if you go north, you quickly see something growing on the horizon.
"This is about 140 days to fill this facility," said Jacob Brennan, We Energies gas storage operations manager.
Jacob Brennan
When complete, the energy company will bring in natural gas, cool it to the point it becomes a liquid, and store it in a 12 million gallon steel tank. That is the equivalent of about 24 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
"That’s pretty impressive, in comparison to older technology where you would be doing a quarter of that over a two-year process," Brennan said.
We Energies natural gas storage facility, Ixonia
We Energies gave a tour of the facility on Friday, Dec. 15. Workers will finish construction in the next several months.
We Energies said this and an already online liquid natural gas storage facility in Bluff Creek will provide gas during high demand periods. Last December, after a pipeline issue, We Energies asked customers to limit their gas use.
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"They really do provide a fantastic resource for those bitter cold days," said Andy Hesselbach, senior vice president of gas operations.
We Energies natural gas storage facility, Ixonia
But a bitter taste lingers for those who live nearby.
"It’s basically assured us that money buys politics," said Bill Rupnow, who lives across the street.
Signs still dot people's yards to "Save Ixonia" from the project.
FOX6 News spoke with people concerned about safety and the impact to property values. They are frustrated with approval of the facility in a farmland preservation area.
A utility-shared revenue agreement will send more than $500,000 to the town – and more than $1 million to the county each year.
Some in the group pooled money to pay attorneys like Bill Rupnow to fight the project.
We Energies natural gas storage facility, Ixonia
"We fought it as hard as we could, and there’s nothing else we could have done about it. We tried everything we could," Rupnow said.
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Now Rupnow gets to see the storage facility every day and night – from this front yard.
"It was a good location for it, because of the pipelines that provide the gas, and the ‘interstate highway’ of pipes that take it east, towards the lake," Hesselbach said.