News

The innovative Columbia Energy Storage Project, a partnership between the co-owners of the Columbia Energy Center near Portage, Wisconsin, has received approval from State regulators.

Energy Dome’s CO2 battery located in Sardinia, Italy.

The Columbia Energy Storage Project is the first long-duration energy storage system of its kind to be developed in the United States. The 18-megawatt project is designed to improve grid stability and deliver enough electricity to power approximately 18,000 homes for 10 hours on a single charge.

The added reliability and dispatchability provided by the project will help to further enable Madison Gas and Electric's (MGE's) ongoing transition toward greater use of carbon-free energy. It also will help to manage long-term customer costs because projects like this one enable the partner utilities to store energy to help meet peak demand.

The project will use a revolutionary closed-loop process, designed by Energy Dome, to take energy from the grid and convert carbon dioxide (CO2) gas into a compressed liquid form for long-term storage. Then, when the stored energy is needed, the system will convert the liquid CO2 back to a gas, which will power a turbine to create electricity.

The project will be built south of Portage in the Town of Pacific, near the current Columbia Energy Center, which is co-owned by Alliant Energy, Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) and MGE. MGE is a minority owner of the power plant. This site allows the use of existing electrical infrastructure while the partners work to advance the next generation of sustainable energy.

Construction is expected to begin in 2026 and be completed by the end of 2027.

Google has hosted a special announcement celebration in Cedar Rapids to officially confirm their data center project at Alliant Energy’s Big Cedar Industrial Center. The project is Google’s second data center location in the state of Iowa: the first is in Council Bluffs.

Two data centers will now occupy space at Big Cedar Industrial Center with both Google and QTS locating at the site. QTS announced their project in February 2025.

Beyond the project confirmation, Google also announced an additional $7 billion investment in Iowa. $6.8 billion has already been invested in the state by the company.

Alliant Energy has filed a plan with the Iowa Utilities Commission to add up to 1,000 megawatts of wind energy generation in Iowa. The proposed expansion is part of the company’s strategy to meet growing energy demand while maintaining reliability and affordability for customers, according to the filing.

“This filing marks a significant step in our commitment to an all-of-the-above approach to energy generation,” said Mayuri Farlinger, president of Alliant Energy’s Iowa energy company and vice president of energy delivery. “By expanding our wind energy portfolio, we’re reinforcing our ability to meet customer demand while delivering reliable and cost-effective energy for customers.”

Alliant Energy said it plans to own and operate the new wind projects, which will contribute to its standing as one of the top five utility owners and operators of regulated wind energy in the United States. The projects are also expected to support construction jobs, provide payments to landowners, and generate new tax revenue for counties where the turbines are located, though a location has not yet been specified.

The coal will be burning at the We Energies plant in Oak Creek a year longer than expected. The company has announced that it will extend the operating life of two coal units at the Oak Creek Power Plant to meet high energy demand periods through the end of 2026. The plant was scheduled to retire at the end of 2025.

The Assembly has voted to approve several measures aimed at making Wisconsin the "Silicon Valley" for nuclear power development, showing support for a burgeoning nuclear fusion industry.

One bill would establish a nuclear summit in Wisconsin and establish funding for the event to be hosted in 2028. The Senate approved the bill in June. Another bill would launch a siting study, run by the Public Service Commission, to find the best location for a nuclear power plant to be erected in the Madison area or other areas of the state. The Senate approved that bill in May. The bills have been sent to the Governor for his signature.

The developer behind the largest solar project ever approved in Wisconsin has agreed to a legal settlement with a state conservation group aimed at protecting the habitat of the Greater Prairie Chicken.

The Vista Sands Solar project in Portage County will cover more than 5,000 acres with solar panels, producing enough electricity to power approximately 230,000 homes. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin approved the project late last year.

WEC ENERGY GROUP DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND

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 September 2025, to stockholders of record on August 14, 2025. This marks the 332nd consecutive quarter — dating back to 1942 — that the company will have paid a dividend to its stockholders.

ALLIANT ENERGY CORPORATION DECLARES QUARTERLY COMMON STOCK DIVIDEND

The Alliant Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: LNT) Board of Directors today declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.5075 per share payable on August 15, 2025, to shareowners of record as of the close of business on July 31, 2025. Dividends on common stock have been paid for 319 consecutive quarters since 1946.

Wisconsin’s first large-scale energy storage project—the Paris Solar-Battery Park in Kenosha County—is now serving Madison Gas and Electric customers. 

The 110-megawatt battery portion of the Paris Solar-Battery Park came online in June 2025. The 200-MW solar portion of the project went into service in December 2024. 

The storage facility is made up of batteries capable of powering more than 130,000 homes for four hours. On sunny days, the batteries store excess power and release it at night or in the early morning when the sun is not shining. 

“Carbon is our target, and Wisconsin’s first large-scale battery storage project continues the progress we're making in working toward innovative solutions to achieve net-zero carbon electricity,” according to Jeff Keebler, MGE Chairman, President and CEO. 

MGE owns 11 MW of the Paris facility’s battery storage and 20 MW of solar capacity. We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, both subsidiaries of WEC Energy Group, own the remaining battery storage and solar capacity. 

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

Xcel Energy has named Ryan Long as the company’s new Executive Vice President and Chief Legal and Compliance Officer. Long, currently President of Xcel Energy – Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, takes over the role held by Rob Berntsen, who accepted a position outside the company.

“Ryan has an extensive legal background as well as demonstrating tremendous leadership in strategic planning, operational considerations and financial results in his current role as President,” according to Bob Frenzel, Xcel Energy’s Chairman, President and CEO. “His legal acumen and jurisdictional expertise are critical assets as we make energy work better for customers. Ryan’s counsel to me, the Xcel Energy leadership team and the Board of Directors is invaluable.”

Long will oversee Xcel Energy’s legal, compliance, and federal affairs teams. He previously served as interim general counsel in late 2023 and early 2024.

Long will continue to oversee the Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota jurisdiction as the company conducts an internal and external search for the next president for this operating company.

Long joined Xcel Energy as a principal attorney in late 2015 and was named vice president, deputy general counsel, in May 2021, managing the Federal and State Regulatory, Environmental and Real Estate legal teams. He previously worked as a lawyer for Faegre Baker Daniels, now known as Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, in Minneapolis and Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York City. Long currently serves on the board of directors of the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.