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The Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) is considering We Energies' plan to build more than $2 billion of new natural gas infrastructure in southeast Wisconsin.

The PSC recently held a pair of public hearings allowing state residents to weigh in on We Energies’ plans to build a roughly $1.2 billion natural gas plant and a more than $456.3 million liquefied natural gas storage facility in Oak Creek. 

The new natural gas plant in Oak Creek would essentially replace aging coal units at the South Oak Creek power plant. Two of those units came offline last year, and the remaining two are scheduled to come offline this year. The projects are necessary to meet future energy needs and support economic growth while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

We Energies describes the natural gas plants as necessary to meet rising energy demands from industrial development in the region, including multiple planned data centers in southeast Wisconsin that require substantial amounts of electric power. A natural gas plant emits about half of the CO2 of a coal-burning plant.

The investments in Oak Creek represent the largest portion of the utility’s more than $2 billion plan to build natural gas infrastructure in southeast Wisconsin. The plan also includes a roughly $300 million natural gas plant in Kenosha County and a more than $200 million gas pipeline in Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee Counties. 

The coal-fired Elm Road Generating Station on the company’s Oak Creek campus is expected to be converted to natural gas in a separate project as We Energies’ parent company works to stop using coal by 2032.

Xcel Energy will soon begin building a key link in Minnesota’s energy future to deliver clean, reliable electricity to customers across the upper midwest after earning approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission this week.

Once complete in 2028, the roughly 175-mile Minnesota Energy Connection transmission line will carry electricity generated in southwest Minnesota to the existing electric grid at Xcel Energy’s Sherco site in Becker, Minnesota. The line will deliver enough energy to power more than 1 million homes across the upper midwest.

“The Minnesota Energy Connection transmission line delivers on our commitment to providing affordable and reliable energy to our customers,” according to Ryan Long, President, Xcel Energy-Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. “Through this project, we will invest in our communities, add industry-leading amounts of clean energy that our customers want, and maintain reliable service as we meet customers’ growing demand for electricity.”

Workers at Xcel Energy’s Monticello nuclear plant have begun a refueling and maintenance effort allowing the facility to continue providing reliable, carbon-free energy for customers throughout the Upper Midwest and remain an economic engine for the region.

During the planned work, the plant will be taken offline and nearly 1,000 specialists will join the plant’s full-time workforce. This provides a significant boost to the economies of Wright County and the surrounding region. The work helps set up the plant for a future extension of its operations, which will play an important part in achieving Minnesota’s clean energy goals.

“Nuclear energy is an important clean energy resource that will help achieve Minnesota’s goal to power communities with reliable, 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2040,” said Ryan Long, president, Xcel Energy – Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. “Ensuring our nuclear plants operate responsibly allows us to continue delivering reliable, carbon-free energy to our Upper Midwest customers well into the future.”

Together, the Monticello plant and Xcel Energy’s Prairie Island nuclear plant provide 23 percent of the total electricity that the company’s customers use in the Upper Midwest.

Extension of operations

Plant maintenance makes it possible to extend Monticello’s operating life and renew Xcel Energy’s investment and commitment to the surrounding region. Earlier this year, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved a 20-year license extension for the Monticello plant, allowing the plant to continue operations through 2050. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission also approved extended operations through 2050, matching the federal extension.

“Refueling and maintenance activities allow us to continue delivering the carbon-free, 24/7 dispatchable energy that our nuclear plants provide our customers,” according to Chris Church, Senior Vice President, Chief Nuclear Officer. “This work requires extensive planning and is critical to maintaining safe, reliable operations at our Monticello plant.”

The company has a long track record of operating its nuclear plants safely. Last year during its annual public meeting, the NRC reported that the Monticello plant operated safely and within the highest performance category.

In recent years, Xcel Energy’s nuclear team has taken steps to save money for customers. The company has implemented an innovative process for temporarily reducing nuclear generation overnight on certain days when low-cost wind resources are abundant. The nuclear team has also reduced production costs at its nuclear plants by 25 percent over the past decade.

The Board of Directors of WEC Energy Group has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 89.25 cents per share on the company's common stock.

The dividend is payable June 1, 2025, to stockholders of record on May 14, 2025. This marks the 331^st consecutive quarter — dating back to 1942 — that the company will have paid a dividend to its stockholders.

Xcel Energy has reported 2025 first quarter GAAP earnings of $483 million, or $0.84 per share, compared with $488 million, or $0.88 per share in the same period in 2024.

First quarter ongoing earnings reflect higher O&M expenses, depreciation and interest charges, partially offset by increased recovery of infrastructure investments.

“As we continue to advance our mission to make energy work better for our customers, we are building new generation, investing in system resilience and leading the energy transition to meet the goals and aspirations of the communities we serve,” said Bob Frenzel, chairman, president and CEO of Xcel Energy. “We reached a milestone in February, when Minnesota regulators approved a resource plan that includes nearly 5,000 megawatts of new wind, solar, battery storage and gas by 2030. Meanwhile, we continue to mitigate the risk of wildfires in our service areas through ongoing operating investments and regulatory support, including reaching settlements for our Texas System Resiliency and Colorado Wildfire Mitigation Plans.”

Madison Gas and Electric, in partnership with We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, subsidiaries of WEC Energy Group, have received approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to purchase solar capacity and battery storage from the High Noon Solar Energy Center.

The project is expected to generate enough carbon-free energy to power about 90,000 households. MGE’s 10 percent share of the output will power about 9,000 households.

MGE will own 30 MW of solar and 16.5 MW of battery storage from the facility located in Columbia County. We Energies and WPS will own the remaining 270 MW of solar and 148.5 MW of battery storage.

The High Noon Solar Energy Center is expected to start serving customers in 2027.

Xcel Energy gas has announced the launch of a new live camera offering the public a unique opportunity to observe peregrine falcons, three of which have already arrived, as they nest and raise their chicks on the shores of Lake Superior atop the Bay Front Power Plant. This camera is part of Xcel Energy's ongoing commitment to environmental education and is one of several the company has installed throughout the states it serves.

“We are very excited to welcome the peregrine falcons back to Ashland and to share the nesting and raising of their young through our ‘Bird Cam’ for all to enjoy,” said Lynn Hall, environmental analyst, Xcel Energy. “Our partnership with the Raptor Resource Project allows us to continue to raise conservation awareness and create great nesting habitats for these birds.” Shortly after the camera was installed, Scottie from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula arrived at the box where he’s been coming the past two years.

Peregrine falcons began nesting at the Bay Front Power Plant in 2014 following the removal of a nearby ore dock on Lake Superior where they previously nested. Each year since then, peregrine falcons have returned to the power plant to nest and notably, a chick born in Ashland in 2023 was identified last year as far south as South Padre Island, Texas. In the past few years, Xcel Energy has collaborated with the Ashland Daily Press and local school districts in Ashland and Bayfield to name the chicks.

Xcel Energy has announced the operation of the Chippewa Sun solar array in the town of Hallie. This five-megawatt solar photovoltaic system is expected to generate approximately 10 million kilowatt-hours per year for its subscribing partners: UW-Eau Claire and the City of Eau Claire.

“The commercial operation of Chippewa Sun is a testament to the leadership and vision of our subscribing customers, and the dedication of our exceptional contractors and suppliers,” according to Karl Hoesly, President, Xcel Energy-Wisconsin and Michigan. “This project not only propels us toward our vision of providing 100 percent carbon-free electricity to our customers by 2050, but it also advances the individual sustainability goals of our partners.”

Chippewa Sun is located just outside Eau Claire and will be integrated into Xcel Energy’s distribution system. Xcel Energy is purchasing electricity from the facility to support the subscribing partners.

We Energies has proposed a special electric rate aimed at data centers including the Microsoft center under construction in Mount Pleasant and a proposed facility in Port Washington.

The rate is meant to ensure that other ratepayers are not saddled with costs associated with building power plants and electric infrastructure necessary for power-hungry data centers, according to the state's largest utility.

The rate could apply to other very large industrial We Energies customers in Wisconsin, although it was essentially written for data centers which are in a league of their own when it comes to power consumption.

Data centers house thousands of computers, in one or more buildings, linked to the outside world by fiber optic cables. They enable most everyday online activities, including social media, streaming video, banking, ChatGPT and much more.

The 250-megawatt (MW) Darien Solar Energy Center is up and running — and now providing power to customers.

The project in Walworth and Rock counties features more than 600,000 solar panels capable of providing enough energy to power about 75,000 homes. The project went into service this month. It was built primarily by Wisconsin union workers.

This is We Energies’ second large scale solar project to power up in recent months. The Paris Solar Energy Center in Kenosha County went online in December. We Energies is also partial owner in the state’s largest solar park, Badger Hollow Solar in Iowa County.

“Our customers count on us to deliver reliable energy — it’s our job to provide it safely 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” said Mike Hooper, president — We Energies. “These new solar projects, along with our planned investments in low-carbon natural gas power plants and more renewable energy, will continue to support reliability and economic growth across the state.”

The solar panels at the Darien Solar Energy Center move and track the sun throughout the day, maximizing power generation. The panels also capture solar energy on both sides — an especially useful feature in winter when sun reflects off the snow and onto the panels.

The Darien Solar Energy Center will provide both immediate and long-term savings to We Energies customers. The facility is already eligible for federal tax credits that will provide millions of dollars per year of savings to customers. And since the facility is powered by the sun, it does not require outside fuel, further reducing costs.

We Energies is the majority owner of the project. Wisconsin Public Service and Madison Gas and Electric are also co-owners.

The project was developed by U.S.-based Invenergy, a leading global developer, owner and operator of clean energy solutions.