200-megawatt wind farm now online providing emissions-free energy to customers CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With construction completed, Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL), a subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corporation (NYSE:LNT), has initiated commercial operation of its first owned-and-operated wind farm in Iowa. The Whispering Willow Wind Farm-East in Franklin County, Iowa, is capable of generating up to 200 megawatts of emissions-free wind energy for its customers - enough to power approximately 50,000 homes. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020405/LNTLOGO) "This is an important day for our company, electric customers and the environment as we continue to strive to meet the increasing demand for green energy," said Bill Harvey, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer for Alliant Energy. "We believe the addition of Whispering Willow Wind Farm-East to our renewable energy portfolio moves us further down the path to a greener energy future." The company expects that over the next 20 years, the Whispering Willow Wind Farm-East will offset approximately 2 million tons of carbon dioxide, 2,600 tons of nitrogen oxides, 7,000 tons of sulfur dioxides and .5 ton of mercury. The carbon dioxide avoided is the equivalent of taking approximately 309,000 standard-size automobiles off the road each year. "Our investment in Whispering Willow Wind Farm-East helps us balance the need to provide affordable energy to our customers while at the same time making sure we're utilizing new technologies to reduce our impact on the environment," said Tom Aller-President, IPL. "We are extremely grateful to the community leaders and residents of the Franklin County for their tremendous support throughout this process. "We're also proud and excited that the addition of this wind farm keeps Iowa in a leadership position for megawatts of wind installed in the U.S.," said Aller. According to the American Wind Energy Association, Iowa is currently ranked second in wind capacity installed. Whispering Willow Wind Farm-East consists of 121 wind turbines spread out over 144 square miles in Franklin County, Iowa. Construction on the wind farm began in the fall of 2008. The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) approved IPL's request for ratemaking principles pertaining to the construction of up to 200 megawatts of wind power in February 2008. The IUB's approval included a return on equity of 11.7 percent and a 25 year depreciation life for up to 200 megawatts of IPL wind development. Ratemaking principles are fixed and define how the costs associated with building wind facilities will be recovered in utility rates throughout the life of the project. Building on its long-term commitment to renewable energy, Alliant Energy's subsidiary, Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL), plans to add an additional 200 megawatts of wind power to its portfolio during 2011 at its Bent Tree Phase I project in Southern Minnesota. Photos of the Whispering Willow Wind Farm are available at http://www.alliantenergy.com/whisperingwillow Alliant Energy is an energy-services provider with subsidiaries serving approximately 1 million electric and over 400,000 natural gas customers. Providing its customers in the Midwest with regulated electric and natural gas service is the company's primary focus. Interstate Power and Light Company, headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is the company's Iowa and Minnesota utility subsidiary and serves approximately 530,000 electric and 235,000 natural gas customers. Alliant Energy is a Fortune 1000 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LNT. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.alliantenergy.com/. Alliant Energy Forward-Looking Statement This press release includes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements can be identified as such because the statements include words such as "expects," "believe," "anticipates," "approximately," or other words of similar import. Similarly, statements that describe future plans or strategies are also forward-looking statements. 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; failure of equipment and technology to perform as expected; current or future litigation, regulatory investigations, proceedings or inquiries that could impede the implementation of Alliant Energy's plans; unanticipated construction issues, delays or expenditures, including increased costs of labor, materials and equipment; and economic conditions in Alliant Energy's service territories. 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, IPL and WPL undertake no obligation to update publicly such statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020405/LNTLOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Alliant Energy Corporation CONTACT: Media, Nancy Craig, +1-319-786-4788, or Investor Relations, Susan Gille, +1-608-458-3956, both for Alliant Energy Corporation Web Site: http://www.alliantenergy.com/

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