Columbia Energy Center co-owners – Alliant Energy, Madison Gas and Electric Company and Wisconsin Public Service Corporation – have detailed plans to shift the suspension of coal operations to the end of 2029. This shift from the previous date of 2026 provides the companies time to explore converting at least one of Columbia’s units to natural gas before the end of 2029 while also furthering reliability, supporting customer growth, maintaining affordability and continuing to advance their sustainability goals. This plan allows the companies to continue leveraging current generation assets to enhance system reliability while addressing changing market conditions.

Multiple reports have documented the industry is facing unprecedented circumstances, including changes implemented by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the regional system operator. Recently, MISO changed the accreditation levels for different generation resources and made the direct recommendation that there’s a “need to accelerate resource additions, monitor large load additions, and delay resource retirements to reliably manage the anticipated growth in electricity demand” to support reliability and load growth.

Natural gas plays an important role in enabling the ongoing transition toward greater use of renewable resources by providing a flexible, dispatchable resource to serve customers reliably and affordably when necessary. A potential conversion, if sought by the co-owners and approved by regulators, would satisfy future capacity needs while also complementing the co-owners’ renewable resources. On behalf of customers and communities across Wisconsin, the plant’s co-owners’ commitment to carbon reduction goals remains unwavering. The co-owners are continuously analyzing market conditions and projected energy demands. Based on this data, they determined this is the best path forward to ensure continued reliability, affordability for all, and future growth preparedness. Each also reaffirmed their commitments to eliminating coal as a generation source and to pursuing their carbon reduction goals, thereby paving the way for cleaner, more sustainable energy solutions in the most cost-effective and responsible manner possible