RockGen Energy Center is a 460 megawatt natural gas

Natural gas

Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...

 fired peaking power plant

Peaking power plant

Peaking power plants, also known as peaker plants, and occasionally just "peakers," are power plants that generally run only when there is a high demand, known as peak demand, for electricity.-Peak hours:...

 located near Rockdale, Wisconsin

Rockdale, Wisconsin

Rockdale is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 214 at the 2000 census. The village is split in half by the Koshkonong Creek...

. According to Calpine, it was the largest peaking plant in Wisconsin at the time it was constructed.

Construction

In July 1998, the town of Christiana

Christiana, Dane County, Wisconsin

Christiana is a town in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,313 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Utica is located within the town.-Geography:...

 was announced as one of the possible sites for a new peaker plant in Wisconsin. The site is just east of a limestone quarry

Quarry

A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...

 and west of a large electrical substation

Electrical substation

A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions...

 on land previously used for row crop farming. Shortly after the announcement, an opposition group named "Responsible Use of Rural and Agricultural Land" (RURAL) was formed to block its construction. Other sites were ruled out as more expensive and the decision was made to proceed at the Dane county location west of Rockdale. Starting in January 1999, several lawsuits were filed by RURAL and the village of Rockdale to block the construction and invalidate the air permit. The Environmental Protection Agency

United States Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...

 declined to overturn the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is an agency of the state of Wisconsin. Its purpose is to preserve, protect, manage and maintain the natural resources of the state. The WDNR has the authority to set policy for itself and to recommend regulations for approval by the State Legislature...

 issued air permit. In March 2000, tensions were high and gunshots were fired at a nearby electrical substation damaging a transformer and circuit breaker. No one was ever charged in the incident, but it was considered to be connected to the construction dispute by police. Construction began in April 2000, ten months behind schedule. In December 2000, the Wisconsin Supreme Court

Wisconsin Supreme Court

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in the state of Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin.-Location:...

 ended the remaining challenge allowing construction to finish. In May 2001, the $190 million facility was completed.

Around the same time period, the announcement of plans for generating stations near Edgerton

Edgerton, Wisconsin

Edgerton is a city in Dane and Rock Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 4,933 at the 2000 census. Known locally as "Tobacco City U.S.A.," because of the importance of tobacco growing in the region, Edgerton continues to be a center for the declining tobacco industry in the...

 (just south of the Dane / Rock county line) and Sturtevant

Sturtevant, Wisconsin

Sturtevant is a village in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 6599 at the 2009 census.Sturtevant celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2007.-Geography:Sturtevant is located at ....

 in Racine County, "generated huge public outcry." Those plans were quickly scrapped and as of 2008, no other power plants have been constructed in Dane County. Calpine would later construct Riverside Energy Center

Riverside Energy Center

Riverside Energy Center is an electrical power station located north of Beloit, Wisconsin in the town of Beloit at 1401 W B R Townline Road just west of the Rock River...

, a larger base load

Base load power plant

Baseload is the minimum amount of power that a utility or distribution company must make available to its customers, or the amount of power required to meet minimum demands based on reasonable expectations of customer requirements...

, combined cycle

Combined cycle

In electric power generation a combined cycle is an assembly of heat engines that work in tandem off the same source of heat, converting it into mechanical energy, which in turn usually drives electrical generators...

 natural gas fired plant farther south in Rock County

Rock County, Wisconsin

-Unincorporated communities:-Further reading:* . Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879.* Brown, William F. , Chicago: Cooper, 1908.* Brown, William F. , Chicago: Cooper, 1908....

 in the town of Beloit

Beloit (town), Wisconsin

Beloit is a town in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,038 at the 2000 census. The City of Beloit is located partially within the town...

.

Operation

The facility began operation May 2001. In February 2003, there was a fire that placed one of the turbines temporarily out of service. The fire was caused by a high pressure air line breaking loose and catching insulation on fire. It was extinguished by plant workers with a hand-held extinguisher and local emergency crews responded without lights or sirens.

Chapter 11

Starting in 2006, the continued operation of the facility was in doubt due to the Chapter 11 filing by parent company Calpine. CIT Group, one of Calpine's creditors, took control of the facility and considered closing it in 2007, but it remained operational through the peak generating season. Natural gas prices

Natural gas prices

Natural gas prices, as with other commodity prices, are mainly driven by supply and demand fundamentals. However, natural gas prices may also be linked to the price of crude oil and/or petroleum products, especially in continental Europe.-U.S...

greatly increased after the facility was constructed affecting its profitability.