New IUC webpage explains what to know about hearing process
Ahead of the scheduled evidentiary hearing for Central Iowa Power Cooperative’s (CIPCO) proposed Scott County electric generating facility, the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) has created a webpage that details what to expect at a contested case hearing and provides links to overviews of upcoming proceedings.
The IUC’s goal is to better inform the public about the format of an evidentiary hearing, where the Commission functions as a judicial body rather than an elected board. The IUC accepts prefiled testimony in the docket from parties to the proceeding, and at the hearing witnesses are sworn in and cross-examined by all parties and the Commission.
The Contested Case Hearings webpage was created to help guide Iowans through the complex regulatory process by providing details about Iowa Code and administrative rules that govern how decisions must be reached in contested cases. The page breaks down the decision criteria the Commission must follow in a contested case and was designed to help the public understand how the hearing is conducted and how to file comments in dockets.
CIPCO proposes to build a 240-megawatt natural gas-fired simple-cycle combustion turbine, known as the Hickory Grove Generating Station, in Scott County. The company filed its application for a generating certificate — specifically a certificate of public convenience, use and necessity — on May 19, 2026.
The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. November 17 at Double Tree by Hilton, 111 E. Second St., Davenport, and will continue daily until all witnesses and testimony have been presented. Daily schedules will be determined at the conclusion of each day’s testimony, if necessary.
More information and a link to the livestream is available on the IUC Hearing and Meeting Calendar.